GAP Australasian Dentist Mar Apr 2020

Category 108 Austràlàsiàn Dentist Dear Dr Toni, I see all these communications courses advertised. Convince me: are they worth it? Dr FR, Tas. What a great question! Here’s my answer: yes. My longer answer includes the reasons why, and it all comes down to the fact that what we were taught at uni is to communicate to examiners rather than to patients. àhe key difference is that examiners care about the logical, justifiable, scientifically accurate, clinically thorough treatment plans. Patients care about whether or not you seem able to solve their problems. àhis means that you need to be able to understand: 1.à what the patient thinks their problems are, and 2.à how to show them the ways you’re planning to meet their needs. àhe first element of this involves the skill of listening. Do your remember learning listening at uni? àO! You weren’t taught that skill, and few people are as naturally good at it as they think they are. àistening involves more than just being quiet while another person talks; it also involves clarifying assumptions, asking deeper questions, recognising and overcoming our own biases, cross- referencing different elements of a conversation, and sometimes asking hard questions in nice ways. àotice also that à said what the patient “thinks” their problems are; in private dentistry, perception is everything. We might know, for example, that a patient needs healthy back teeth to be able to function long-term. But if the patient only cares about looking good and therefore the appearance of their anteriors, no amount of clinically accurate persuasion will work. We need to be smarter about the ways we communicate the right solution to them. àhe second element involves showing the way your recommended solution will meet their needs. àhis is different from providing a logical list of reasons; it has to appeal to their emotions and allay their fears. àt’s not about telling, pushing or trying to persuade. Further, the exact way you show them how you’re meeting their needs should vary depending on what you can glean about their preferred communications style. Are they direct and blunt, or do they need sugar-coating and gentleness? Do they have lots of questions and need lots of facts? Do they need to feel that you love them, or that you know what you’re talking about? A standard script, no matter how clinically accurate, will not get patients saying “yes” to you. And the reason that “yes” is important to us dentists is because we know that we’re offering the right thing for the patient. ào it’s irresponsible of us to offer solutions in ways that don’t appeal to the patient. Are you convinced yet? àf so, get in touch with us to sign up for our courses. àf not, get in touch with us to sign up for our courses. Dear Dr Toni, My OHT is quite a good clinician, and is very nice to our patients. But I feel like she could be doing more to support my recommendations. She says that she’s not meant to “diagnose” beyond her scope. What are your thoughts? Dr LQ, WA àhe sounds as though she’s got a lot of potential! A good clinician who’s nice to patients is a really good start in an OHà, but you’re right that you could develop her further. For very good ethical reasons, there’s a lot of talking in the industry about scopes of practice, and it’s true that all clinicians need to be responsible for operating within their scopes. àhat said, there are plenty of ways in which hygienists and OHàs can help reinforce dentists’ diagnoses. àhe first thing to do is to make sure that the hygienist/OHà does believe in Q&A with Dr Toni Surace Beàt àraàt eà Q&à It’s always best practice to develop business skills, systems, techniques and industry knowledge that could impact your practice. BEST PRACTICES Q&A is a forum allowing you to ask the tough questions to Australasian Dentist columnist Dr Toni Surace. Dr Toni Surace BDSC (Melb) Managing Director, Momentum Management Mentor, coach and international presenter. your philosophy of care. àhey really do need to believe that u comprehensive diagnosis is best for patients generally, AàD u that you’re an ethical and capable clinician. àt might sound self-evident, but have that conversation with her just to check that she does believe these notions. àt’s OK to ask directly, e.g. “Betty-àue, you’ve been working with us for a while now, and à am wondering if you have any concerns with the treatment we offer”. ànter this conversation with a genuine curiosity, and be open to her voicing concerns. Most of the time that won’t be the issue, most of the time, it’s because they’ve never been shown the distinction between diagnosing and reinforcing. àhe diagnosis part is related to your clinical skills and abilities as a dentist, and the reinforcement comes down to her being able to express to the patient the reasons she supports your diagnosis and believes that it is the best thing for the patient. We notice all the time that patients tend to say “yes” more often once a hygienist/OHà has reinforced a diagnosis, and à can tell that you’re already aware of its power. àhe reason for it is that patients often have an intrinsic concern that dentists have a financial stake in a diagnosis, and tend to be more sceptical because of it. But they don’t have the same reservations about the OHà’s motivations, so it’s really useful when a trained clinician (hygienist or OHà) supports a dentist’s diagnosis. Patients start to believe the diagnosis more. What you need, then, is a way to show your OHà how to communicate with a patient in a way that reinforces diagnoses. àhat means that your own notes are clear about what you’ve recommended to the patient, and that you have systems in place that allow your OHà to check the patient’s records. You also need systems that support you and the OHà discussing the way you’re going to work together to speak to the patient. àhe OHà needs to BEST PRACTICES 4 “ “