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Celebrity Patients, VIPs, and Potentates.
James E. Groves1, Barbara A. Dunderdale, Theodore A. Stern
1Department of Psychiatry and the Development Office, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
|March 12, 2004
Summary
Managing "special" patients like celebrities, VIPs, and potentates requires tailored strategies. Understanding their unique impact on caregivers is key to maintaining objectivity and protecting privacy in medical settings.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sociology
- Healthcare Management
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Historically, doctor-patient relationship literature focused on difficult patients.
- Similar challenges arise with other
- special
- patient categories.
- These patients evoke strong emotional responses in healthcare providers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the literature on managing
- special
- patients.
- To subcategorize these patients based on their presentations.
- To outline specific management strategies for each category.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and analysis.
- Categorization of
- special
- patients by presentation.
- Identification of caregiver emotional responses and management challenges.
Main Results:
- Three types of
- special
- patients identified: sick celebrities, VIPs, and potentates.
- Sick celebrities risk caregiver privacy.
- VIPs induce awe and compromise objectivity.
- Potentates trigger narcissism and power struggles.
Conclusions:
- Protect celebrity patients' privacy and staff privacy.
- Use team leadership to maintain objectivity with VIPs.
- Reassure potentates and support caregiver self-esteem to neutralize conflict.