How to deal with a crying patient? A study from a primary care setting in Croatia, using the ‘critical incident technique’

Figures & data

Table I. Reasons for patients crying.

Reasons for patients crying	Male (n = 22)	Female (n = 105)	All (n = 127)
Malignant disease	8	40	48 (37.8%)
Family problems	3	25	28 (22.2%)
Death of close person	2	21	23 (18.1%)
Chronic or incurable disease	3	14	17 (13.4%)
Other problem	4	3	7 (5.5%)
Social problem	1	3	4 (3.1%)

Table II. Pattern of GP trainees’ communication with crying patients.

(a) Let the patients cry

(b) Verbalization of emotions and facilitation in order to express the problem

(c) Mutual understanding and solution finding

(d) Evaluation—maintaining the contact

(e) GP trainees’ experience of great emotional labour

Table III. GP trainees’ emotions regarding a crying patient.

GP trainees’ emotions	Male (n = 21)	Female (n = 106)	All (n = 127)
Shared the same feelings with patient	15	103	118 (92.2%)
Surprised and confused	1	5	6 (4.7%)
Indifferent	4	1	5 (3.9%)
Guilty	2	2	4 (3.1%)