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Conversation with Dr. Rakesh Jivan, Clinical Director for Education at Pacific Smiles Group and clinical lead for Insight, the PSG graduate development program.

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/research/news/google-ai-model-beats-radiologists-at-detecting-breast-cancer/articleshow/73065302.cms

Drip, drip, drip … technological advances are moving into the medical space and becoming ever more efficient and this is, hopefully, wonderful for patients everywhere.
I have spoken to a number of radiologists about this over the years (they really are in the front line of this phenomenon) and each specialist has responded by acknowledging the advances and saying that where the human still adds immense value is stepping out of the dark room and away from the computer screen to interact and communicate with the patient – interpretation and explanation of data, differential diagnoses, where to go, what to do, who to see and empathy, care and understanding – this is where a huge amount of value is to be added by their role as human specialist experts.
As dental professionals we are still a way off AI taking over any of our primary technical tasks, however the time may not be far off when a machine will scan and image a patient’s mouth in a booth in their local shopping mall (with an auxiliary overseeing the process perhaps) and they will leave 5 minutes later with a detailed, accurate, itemised treatment plan in their hands and continue on with their day.
It goes without saying that our clinical skills are essential and we must continually work to understand and improve our knowledge of what we are able to do in terms of diagnosis, treatment planning and provision of care – this is is the part of our job where AI is going to slowly encroach on (witness the boom in scanning and milling already which, in the right hands, is getting close and closer to what the best human can do).
It is also equally, if not more, imperative that we continue to understand and improve our communication skills – the so called ‘soft skills’ – which is actually mostly what the patients relate to when they visit us. They don’t understand material choice, selective etching, filler size or perfect cusp shaping and fissure staining.
They understand that we asked about their recent holiday, listened to their concerns, gave them appropriate choices and autonomy and ultimately how effectively we communicate conveys that we are acting in their best interests – when they experience this they will be much more likely to return for treatment, comply with instructions, recommend friends and family and ultimately forego the treatment spa room with the shiny white pod coming soon to a shopping mall near you.

My first ‘on mic’ episode – treatment planning, burnout, social media, negotiation and conflict management all through the lens of effective communication and empathy.

 

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Episode Notes

Conversation with Dr. Annalene Weston who works for DPL as a dentolegal adviser and in dental practice. We discuss the role of effective communication in dentistry and specifically in handling and avoiding complaints. We also talk about mental health, social media and much more.

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2.00 – Bio.

15.35 – Building rapport and trust.

21.15 – Dealing with patient rejection/ crticism.

24.00 – Active listening and apology/ explanations.

28.25 – Receiving a complaint.

31.00 – Role of ineffective communication in complaints.

33.00 – Effect of complaints on practitioners and defensive dentistry.

40.40 – How to avoid adverse outcomes and complaints.

46.00 – Burnout and practitioner mental health.

55.00 – The Mental Block Facebook group.

58.00 – Social media.

1.04.00 – Environment for new grads.

1.09.40 – Resources.

http://www.commhealth.com.au

Malcolm Gladwell – Outliers / Blink.

Matthew Syed – Black Box Thinking.

Robert Sapolsky – Behave.

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Conversation with Dr. Wendy Gill, periodontist and practice owner, covering many areas of relevance to dental professionals treating and referring periodontal patients.

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2.00 – Bio.

3.25 – Benefits of teaching.

7.00 – Key considerations for specialists building rapport.

13.10 – Behaviour change and motivation.

16.35 – Educating patients – focus on susceptibility.

22.40 – Addressing lifestyle issues.

28.45 – Laser assisted treatment – positive outcomes and motivating tool.

40.30 – New periodontal classification.

42.30 – When treatment doesn’t work.

46.25 – Teamwork and managing a team.

51.40 – Communicating with referrers.

54.25 – The journey to specialisation.

58.05 – Recommended resources.

www.commhealth.com.au/blog

https://www.perio.org/sites/default/files/files/Classification%20at%20a%20glance.pdf

If you enjoyed this episode and heard something that may be relevant for a colleague, please spread the word as personal recommendations carry great weight – just press share in your streaming app.
I would also be grateful if you could take a second to rate the podcast as this builds the profile and makes it easier to find for others that may benefit.

Conversation with Dr. Aengus Kelly, senior clinical lecturer in communication at University of Central Lancashire and facilitator for Dental Protection workshops. We discuss our experiences as new graduates, burnout, treatment of anxious patients and much more.

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Episode Note

Trauma informed dental care.

I recommend you listen to Episode 7 (Part 1) first to get most value from this episode.

Dr. Sharonne Zaks has researched and adapted the well established (in other areas of health and social services) ‘trauma informed approach’ and applied the principles to the dynamics of the dentist-patient relationship to create protocols and strategies for how we can help survivors of sexual assault access dental care.

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Episode Notes;

1.20 – “This is going to take much more time – I don’t have the time.”

6.00 – How spending extra time at beginning benefits the interaction.

9.00 – Anxiety management strategies.

14.35 – Ways to give power back to the disempowered patient.

17.45 – Screening questions.

19.45 – Managing attendance – last minute cancellations and FTAs.

23.45 – TLC phone calls.

25.10 – Dangers of vicarious trauma – dentist/ team self-care.

34.55 – How to respond if a patient discloses a history of abuse.

41.40 – Call to action.

50.10 – Benefits of this approach for the dental team.

www.commhealth.com.au/blog
http://zaksdental.com.au/the-team/
http://zaksdental.com.au/trauma-informed-dental-care-adult-survivors-sexual-assault/links-references-resources-including-quoted-dentist-lecture-videos/
http://zaksdental.com.au/trauma-informed-dental-care-adult-survivors-sexual-assault/videos-for-dentists/
https://tedxsydney.com/talk/how-to-end-fear-of-the-dentist-sharonne-zaks/
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/conversations/sharonne-zaks-dentist/11188216

 

If you learned from this episode and heard something that may be relevant for a colleague, please spread the word as personal recommendations carry great weight – just press share in your streaming app.
I would also be grateful if you could take a second to rate the podcast as this builds the profile and makes it easier to find for others that may benefit.

Trauma informed dental care.

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I’ve recently had the honour of interviewing Dr. Sharonne Zaks, an Australian dentist who has been doing stellar work both in her practice and in research and presenting her findings about dental treatment for survivors of sexual abuse.

Sharonne is starting new conversations about this area and when you hear the prevalence (which is possibly an under-reporting!) of abuse then it is imperative that we as dentists engage with this material and reflect on all aspects of our practice so that we can provide a more comprehensive level of care for all our patients.

Here is a short interview Sharonne has done recently for the BBC –

 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p07gbq5m

– it is a great introduction to Sharonne and her work – in my 2 part interview (release date Monday 9th September) I focus mainly on the dentistry and how the principles of trauma informed dental care can be applied by us as a universal protocol to care for our patients.

 

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