MedPage Today January 12, 2026
Meta-analysis points to characteristics associated with perceived difficulty
Key Takeaways
- Physicians viewed 17% of patient encounters as difficult, according to a meta-analysis.
- Patient characteristics associated with perceived difficulty included personality disorders, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.
- The researchers suggested a need for more training in handling difficult encounters.
Nearly one-fifth of adult patient encounters in non-psychiatric settings were considered difficult by physicians, a meta-analysis found.
The prevalence of difficult encounters was 17% across 10 studies measuring this parameter, Jeffrey Jackson, MD, MPH, of the Medical College of Wisconsin and Clement J. Zablocki Veterans’ Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee, and colleagues reported.
Patient characteristics associated with increased difficulty included personality disorders (relative risk [RR] 2.2, 95% CI 1.5-3.1), depression...
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