No one appreciates being left in the dark when it comes to any kind of dental care treatment. If you’re like me, you like to know what’s going on and maybe even details about the kind of treatment my dental professional is suggesting. Patient interaction should be more than just a quick greeting and on to the diagnosis without a conversation, and more importantly, the conversation should not stop the minute the patient has finished receiving his or her checkup. In this post, I am going to talk about the importance of patient education, the benefits of patient education and why patient education will encourage your new patients to come back to your dental practice again and again.
What does patient education actually mean? There are two components to patient education provided by the authors of “Basics of Patient Education.” One component is clinical patient education, “a planned, systematic, and logical process of teaching and learning. This type of patient education is used when it comes to educating your patients on their treatments and informing them about what the treatment involves before and after. The second component, health education, focuses on “wellness, prevention, and health promotion” which translates to educating your patients on how to prevent certain health issues, such as cavities, gum disease and even oral cancer. This kind of continuous education and care is important for your patients, so it is up to you as a health care provider to take the time to answer questions and even encourage questions without using a formal fill-in-the-blanks form. Now let’s talk about patient retention for a moment. One noted challenge for dental practices is keeping patients coming back. Avoiding informal handling of patient education will give you an edge over other providers for one very important reason—you are demonstrating to your patients that you genuinely care and caring goes a long way when it comes to patient retention and even case acceptance. By starting a conversation with your patients about their health, you are helping to develop a trusting and long-lasting relationship with them. However, this isn’t the only benefit to your practice; by taking time to have a one-on-one discussion, you are encouraging your patients to tell their family and friends about your practice, providing word-of-mouth advertising.
However, it takes more than just a conversation to really get through to your patients the importance of a healthy mouth or the importance of a suggested treatment. You have to be willing to encourage patients to get information elsewhere. Perhaps you can provide them with websites that will help them better understand their situation. You also should educate without alienating your patients by avoiding the use of abbreviations or jargon. Don’t be afraid to answer questions; in fact, it is always essential to prepare yourself for the questions that will challenge you and your work. Be honest and engage in the conversation without getting defensive or closing yourself off.
“The basic focus of health education is to change and improve societal health behaviors” and by doing so consequently improve oral health outcomes. As suggested by the “Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice”, some ways of providing prevention education can range from suggesting a new and more effective toothbrush to providing a short tutorial on the proper way to brush. Some dentists have even created blogs for their patients to browse through in between appointments, providing education about mouth guards, braces, gum disease prevention, teeth whitening, and even dental implant providers. Keep the conversation going even after the patient has gone and this will encourage them to come back and many others to consider joining them.
At this point the benefits seem pretty straightforward. Providing proper patient education encourages patient retention and trust while also encouraging patients to continue caring for their mouths after they leave the dental office, and the list goes on with benefits such as
- Enabling patients to assume responsibility for their own health care
- Providing patients with the opportunity to practice prevention techniques at home
- Increasing patient trust, satisfaction, and loyalty
- Increasing opportunities for treatment acceptance
- Ensuring continuity of care between appointments.
- Helping patients decide the best plan of action
- Improving communication between you and your patients
Patient education provides a whole host of benefits not only to you and your practice but also to your patients who have a better chance of keeping their mouths healthy and eliminating bad habits. And, as one blogger attests, “With the help of patient education, our patients see us as partners working to find the best solution to fit their individual needs.” To learn more on the subject of patient education, please feel free to peruse the list of resources below.
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