You may be familiar with the old expression, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink”. Well, it is the same concept with patients that refuse to follow their physician’s instructions. You can provide directions, explain the importance, but you can’t “make” them follow the instructions. However, these are people we are talking about, and in some cases, failure to follow medical advice could have very serious consequences, so what can you do? As you explain directions to the patient, in many cases, you can tell by their lack of interest that there is a chance they will not follow medical advice. It is frustrating and potentially dangerous for the patient, so is there a simple way to stress the importance of physician’s orders? Understanding why the Patient Disregards Doctors Orders Many patients, often male patients, think of themselves an invincible. They just don’t think there will be serious consequences to their actions, or lack thereof.
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