An interesting conundrum! How do we as Dentists and our Team, by the nature of our work, connect with our Patients Journey under this new complex Covid-19 driven environment? How do we protect our Patients, Team, and Ourselves, while maintaining effective and positive communication, empathy and humanity?

We make contact with patients to arrange appointments, generally by phone, email and sometimes directly when they are present at our practice. Social distancing is changing this significantly.

We make contact with them while we are consulting, discussing with, and treating them. During this time, we often loose that connection. Now this contact will be completely changed.

We only sometimes contact them following treatment to inquire how they are. Is there time to do it now?

Why am I writing this? What has changed? We are now going to carry out our care for our patients in an entirely new environment. In effect this will be slower in terms of time, but will also be more remote because of the physical changes we are having to create. The new areas where distancing and contact will change will be in the visual, verbal, tactile and emotional. This will happen before they come to us, at reception, no waiting now, in the surgery and a quickened up departure. How will this affect The Patients Journey and the interaction with us?

Yes, we did adapt to the wearing of masks, gloves, headlights, microscopes, and scrubs. Can you remember that? That was back sometime in the eighties, 30 years ago and more. We adapted. In fact, Dental sterilization and disinfecting procedures became internationally regarded, and has allowed us to treat HIV and Hepatitis patients in our surgeries. However, the new life of social distancing, with no handshakes, no arms around the shoulder, the only tactile contact being the one the patient does not want, is not a very positive reception or work environment, as they see us all dressed up and ready to go.

The head cover and gear, goggles, FFP2 masks, shields, gowned from head to toe; not even able to make good eye contact, and the new noises coming from more equipment. All wrapped up with even more protective disposables.

What is your patient thinking? I don’t believe they expect to see their Dentist dressed like the Front-Line Workers, seen on television every day. The voices are even changed with all this PPE. How upset, stressed, isolated and unappreciated will they feel? Remember we have told them that we the team are also at risk. More importantly how are we going to deal with this serious change of contact?

We have become used to chatting, hand shaking, hugging and kissing, although in the era of #MeToo this has become more restrained. However, we were able to engage, not least by speaking and eye contact. Tactile and emotional building of trust. No time for that now. Surgery has to be decontaminated. The days of going into the waiting room, sitting there, cups of tea, stories, scandal, human interaction. All gone.

What do we do to re-establish the type of empathy championed by the likes of Gerry McKenna, Aidan O’Reilly, Cormac Brady, Adrian Cowan and Colm O’Sullivan? They had their teams even then. The use of the telephone to prearrange appointments but more particularly to follow-up each patient after treatment, built practices with patients who learned to respect us because of this close contact. The post treatment phone call is long gone in most practices, but it is something which could be brought back if we are to maintain the type of empathy and trust that patients have had with us. Many of the contacts with our Patients right now, are and have been by our Team. They are going to be more remote now. The chat, handshake, smile and word of thanks. How well do you know your team? How well do they trust you?

Yes, we are an adaptable and responsible profession. Risk Assessment, Due Diligence, Do No Harm. This new environment will mean that we must find new ways to establish and hold eye contact, and to verbally communicate clearly. I believe we the Dentist as part of the team need to use our phones more skilfully, efficiently and creatively. Personalized texts and videos? This new barrier between Patient and the Dental team, must not interfere with the emotional communication which has to be re-built and maintained. Forgive me, if I say that the broader reaches of social media cannot make up for the type of empathy, reaching out and trust, that a one-to-one contact can do. Remember this is our work and how we work! All the different parts of the Patients Journey.

Given the nature of our work which simply put, is causing patients physical and/or psychological pain, and expecting them to pay for it. Now because we are introducing a new treatment environment, we must become creative again. Slow down, take a breath, use the time, and make good eye and verbal contact. Hurry up to slow down. Let your patients realise that you have their interests at heart, not just their treatment. Let them feel that their Journey was worthwhile. Personal statements with in house videos could be used on websites, but is that sufficient?

This is a team effort. It will require many hours of time, for brainstorms and outside the box decision making, to ensure that the emotional and human parts of our work will provide a successful Journey for each Patient, and the Practice Team. Do you need to, or can you answer the Conundrum?

Angus P Roche PositivePractice.ie

INSPIRED BY LIFE IN DENTISTRY MAY 2020