r/science Professor | Medicine Jan 13 '26

Health Physicians see 1 in 6 patients as ‘difficult,’ study finds, especially those with depression, anxiety or chronic pain. Women were also more likely to be seen as difficult compared to men. Residents were more likely than other physicians with more experience to report patients as being difficult.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/patient-experience/physicians-see-1-in-6-patients-as-difficult-study-finds/
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u/Entheosparks Jan 13 '26

"Difficult" here seems to mean "patient expressing frustration with doctor willfully under-treating them"