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CATEGORY EV NTS

Did your online visits begin with the pandemic? Yes, and telemedicine is indeed a valuable and powerful tool. It became a crucial topic with the pandemic. During the lockdown, the only way we could talk to our patients, reassure them or give them advice and postoperative instructions, was through online visits. Technology helps. But the most important asset is the time we dedicate to patients. I use 3-D models that can be easily and cost e ectively built from CBCT scans. Also, photography is an enormous help. We have a large screen where we show all the collected diagnostic data so we can better and more fully discuss patient conditions and prognoses. So they can consider and digest the information after the rst consultation. We also give patients written reports including PowerPoints of intraoral images and radiographs. Communications failure: What’s the most common cause? I think it is time management – always being in rush or late so we do not have the time to spend for one-to-one exchange with the patient. Reserving and dedicating this time completely changes the outcome, especially when understanding possible post-operative outcomes and homecare are more critical. Once the trust is built, even if something doesn’t go as planned, the patient understands, and it will be okay. Do you remember the last time you dealt with a complication caused by miscommunication? A few months ago, I had to perform a vertical augmentation GBR in a very large defect. e patient ew back to his home city and continued the therapy with the referral dentist who did not follow our post op guidelines – maybe he had not read our email. e patient got a xed resin retained What are the most powerful communica tion tools?

restoration that was too tall and impacted the soft tissue, opening it up. He had to come back to our o ce. We reopened the case, removed the membrane, saved what could be saved and redid the GBR. Not so pleasant. Can a communication protocol reduce the risks of complications? For sure! I think the most important measure to avoid complications is communication between the team members. All team members should be on the same page, including what the patient has been told so stress levels stay under control. By training, checklists, regular sta meetings and spending all the time necessary to talk to the team, to reassure and encourage them. Rather than the surgeons, for patients it’s almost more important that the receptionists and nurses are kind and attentive. Patients accept that surgeons are less talkative and have less time, but they open up, chit-chat, cry and How should communication be imple mented in the real world?

tell their stories to the nurses. If patients feel we are a safe and experienced team, they trust and listen more than if they nd the team disorganized and stressed. And we don’t just see a patient half an hour before the operation. We see them when they go to the hygienist, for check-ups, assessments and re-evaluations. We have a lot of opportunities to communicate with them at various stages, to build our relationship and bring them to where we hope they will arrive in their therapy. e team should know how important this relationship is. Yes. A decade ago, there was almost no communication between patients and clinicians. e doctor was the key healthcare provider – the one who dictated the rules patients had to follow. e accessibility of medical information has made a massive di erence. Anyone can nd out about a procedure and better understand our therapies. u Are patient-clinician relationships easier today?

Dr Isabella Rocchietta is coming to Australia to talk about Hard and soft tissue reconstruction of alveolar defects using Guided Bone Regeneration

Workshop Details: Melbourne Saturday, 28th October 2023 10.00am – 3.00pm (registration 9.30am) InterContinental Melbourne. 495 Collins St, Melbourne Sydney Tuesday, 31st October 2023 10.00am – 3.00pm (registration 9.30am) Hyatt Regency, 161 Sussex Street, Sydney

Hands-On workshop

REGISTER NOW! Scan the QR code to register.

Cost $995. Catering provided CPD 4 Scienti c CPD hours

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38 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST