She calls them querulous for their insatiable gripes and grumbles 鈥斅燽ut companies dealing with chronic complainers might as easily label them a costly waste of resources.
Indeed, it was the discovery complaints without recourse or reason were costing the Alberta health-care system up to $200,000 each that spurred Dr. Amie Liddle, PhD, to fight back with research and a strategy to help those on the receiving end.
鈥淨uerulous complaint behaviour is disruptive to organizations, damaging to professional reputations, psychologically distressing and a misuse of human and financial resources,鈥 says Liddle, adjunct clinical associate in 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 Faculty of Nursing.
Threats and demands a warning sign
Demands to speak to a manager, or threats to make the issue a public matter are just some of the indications you might be dealing with a querulous complainer who will never be satisfied, says Liddle.
Typical behaviour includes a refusal to resolve the matter, insisting to speak to the next higher level of authority no matter who replies, and reputation-ruining threats against individuals and the corporation 鈥斅燼nd all of it adds up to time and resources.
鈥淥ne querulous complainant can initiate multiple internal and external reviews simultaneously 鈥斅overarching legislated review processes, regulatory bodies 鈥斅燼nd the list goes on and on.鈥
Solution through process
Liddle鈥檚 solution is called the Querulous Complaint Assessment Instrument and Process (QCAIP), and it works by teaching frontline staff how to recognize a querulous complaint and then deal with it in a timely, effective fashion that limits the emotional and mental toll on workers.
鈥淚 developed the QCAIP to early-identify querulous behaviour,鈥 explains Liddle.
鈥淭he QCAIP is an assessment tool and guide that allows providers to be informed and prepared to navigate the complainant behaviours and respond to the complaint in an expedited and fair manner.鈥
Social Innovation Week
QCAIP is in the spotlight as part of Social Innovation Week at 草莓污视频导航, a mashup of activities from Oct. 11 to 14, hosted by faculties, institutes, accelerators, social enterprise, and centres across 草莓污视频导航's social innovation ecosystem and community.
Academic research solutions that benefit society is a key focus of Social Innovation Week. In pilots at four urban Alberta hospitals, Liddle鈥檚 QCAIP process was shown to reduce such complaints to an average of 34 days, as opposed to 356 days, while reducing the involvement of multiple individuals or areas by 75 per cent.
Through the Social Innovation Hub, Liddle was supported in creating the CoER (Complaint Education Research Group) venture, an online learning platform that offers microlearning certificate courses. Individuals learn the fundamentals of querulous complaints, early identification QCAIP, triggers, strategies to respond as well as how to manage complaints.
Separating legitimate concerns
Liddle, who served as provincial director of patient relations at Alberta Health Services, says separating legitimate complaints from the 聽vortex of querulous is actually straightforward and very accurate.
According to Liddle, 鈥渜uerulous鈥 describes a pattern of behaviour relating to the unreasonable persistent pursuit of minor concerns in a manner that is damaging to professionals and disruptive to organizations attempting to achieve resolution.
鈥淲hen I teach complaints management I always ask, 鈥楧espite providing high-quality care and service, have you ever been threatened with 鈥榯he news,鈥 legal action, given a contrary review, disparaged on social media or complaints to your regulatory body?鈥欌 says Liddle.
鈥淚f so, you have most likely been exploited by querulous behaviour. 鈥
Meet the team at the Social Innovator Celebration
CoER (Complaint Education Research Group)is a current fellow in the run by Innovate Calgary and will be featured at this year鈥檚 on Oct. 13 at 4 p.m. At this event you can connect with some of our city's most remarkable socially purposed ventures and innovators, get support and expert advice for your social enterprise and provide input on the聽.
