Don't Let Defensive Nature Harm Patient Care By Jennie Wood-Young, RRT Most of us are defensive about something. It is part of a primal urge that causes us to wage battle in an effort to reach our goals. Sometimes, however, defensiveness is unintentional and can put us at a risk of defeat, dry up a sense of teamwork and thwart our goals. In health care, it is important to diffuse defensiveness because it can affect the lives of our patients and the care we provide. It is easy to overturn defensive responses if you recognize the triggers.
Some people rationalize, explaining criticized behavior in ways that avoid the real issue.
Some act overtly. This behavior can appear in subtle form, such as making clinical judgements based on superficial, limited information rather than on in-depth thought processes. This often occurs as a reaction to perceived critical scrutiny. Ultimately the best way to diffuse defensiveness is to recognize it for what it is and move past it by focusing on long-term goals. Remember, most arguments in health care are based on misunderstanding rather than a real divergence of views.