Blue Stream Academy is pleased to announce a new Communicating with Patients eLearning course, now live on the Dental eLearning Platform.

Why is Good Communication Important in the Dental Environment?

In the dental environment, clear communication with patients is vital so that they can:

understand what the treatment entails, including costs
understand why the treatment may be required
weigh up the benefits and risks to treatment
assess if the treatment is something they wish to consider
understand any different options that may be available to them.

This enables a patient to provide informed consent to their treatment and gives the patient confidence in the dental team responsible for their care.

Effective communication in dentistry also ties in with one of the General Dental Council’s nine standards which dental professionals must always adhere to. The second GDC principle is to communicate effectively with patients. To do this, the GDC standard states that:

you must communicate effectively with patients - listen to them, give them time to consider information and take their individual views and communication needs into account (2.1).
you must recognise and promote patients’ rights to and responsibilities for making decisions about their health priorities and care (2.2).
you must give patients the information they need, in a way they can understand, so that they can make informed decisions (2.3)
you must give patients clear information about costs (2.4).

What Does the Health and Social Care Act Say About Communicating with Patients?

The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 outline two regulations that relate to communicating with patients:

Regulation 9 (person-centred care) emphasises providing care for patients that is appropriate, meets their needs and reflects their preferences.
Regulation 10 (dignity and respect) stipulates that patients must be treated with dignity and respect. Dental professionals must ensure the privacy of the patient and support the autonomy and independence of the patient.

The Role of Treatment Coordinators (TCOs)

Patient Education - The Wider Dental Team (TCOs)

Many dental practices employ team members whose key role is discussing suitable treatment options with patients. These team members are known as treatment co-ordinators (TCOs). TCOs tend to be naturally good communicators and can be the bridge between the patient and the clinical dental team.

TCOs can help to:

maximise the efficiency of clinical team
discuss treatment plans
complete finance applications and discuss costs
ensure patient courtesy calls and follow ups take place
deal with new patient enquiries
provide literature and further information on treatment options
become the ‘go-to’ person for patients at the practice in respect to their patients
obtaining reviews and feedback.

What Does This Communicating with Patients eLearning Course Cover?

The Communicating with Patients course outlines the General Dental Council's (GDC) requirements to communication effectively with patients and refers to relevant legislation.

Anyone involved in patient interaction in a dental course should take this dental training course. Designed to help dental practitioners enhance their communication skills, the course emphasises the importance of good communication and provides guidance on overcoming communication barriers and understanding different communication styles.

The Dental eLearning course also covers respecting patients' values and beliefs, clearly explaining treatment plans and costs, non-verbal communication, when to use translators or interpreters, how individuals retain information, and the role of treatment coordinators (TCOs) in facilitating communication with patient information.

All of Blue Stream Academy’s dental training is supports continual professional development and dental compliance, with a continuing professional development (CPD) certificate generated with every course completion.

Accessing This Dental CPD Training Course

Blue Stream Academy customers can access this dental eLearning course free of charge by adding it to their training profiles under Manage Profiles.

Communicating with Patients - New Dental eLearning Course