In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Brittni Scruggs, our vitreoretinal surgeon colleague right here on the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Scruggs shares her curiosity and experience in managing verbal harassment within the office. Tune in to listen to about how prevalent these circumstances happen and a toolkit to help in your administration.
The toolkit is as follows:
https://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/tutorials/sexual-harassment-toolkit/Patient-Initiated-Harassment-toolkit.pdf
The EyeRounds tutorial we wrote right here:
https://eyerounds.org/tutorials/sexual-harassment-toolkit/index.htm#gsc.tab=0
The workshop is printed right here:
https://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11096
0:00 Welcome to the Mayo Clinic Ophthalmology Podcast
0:16 Introducing Dr. Brittni Scruggs and Today’s Topic
0:28 Addressing Verbally Abusive Patient Encounters
1:12 Using Empathy to De-escalate Tense Situations
3:04 Handling Inappropriate or Offensive Patient Remarks
4:35 The “I-RE-S-P-E-C-T” Communication Toolkit
8:12 Setting Boundaries and Redirecting Conversations
10:45 Recognizing Intent vs. Impact in Patient Comments
12:20 When Humor Helps—and When It Hurts
14:02 Deciding When to Escalate and Report Behavior
16:30 Safety Strategies for Potentially Dangerous Situations
18:42 Documenting and Preparing for Difficult Patient Visits
21:50 Confronting Overt Threats and Harassment
24:05 Responding to Subtle Prejudice or Microaggressions
26:48 Handling Inappropriate Remarks from High-Profile Patients
28:30 Building Trust by Standing Up for Yourself
29:40 Closing Remarks and Resource
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