Does the use of photography help to prioritise patients when referring to the oral medicine department?

Aslam, Ayesha; Hamburger, J

doi:10.1038/sj.bdj.2010.396

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Evidence also suggests that it has acceptable diagnostic performance when compared to conventional clinical examination 10,12 . Aslam et al highlighted that clinicians found photographs a useful adjunct to oral medicine referrals when prioritising new patient appointments 13 . Rickart et al 14 streamlined their referral and management of facial lacerations in children under 4 by remotely assessing images taken by parents – anecdotally this correlated with a reduction in distress experienced by these younger patients.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of photographic triage in a paediatric dental, orthodontic, and maxillofacial department during COVID‐19

Davies

Howells

Lee

et al. 2021

Int J Paed Dentistry

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Background During the COVID‐19 pandemic, limitations were placed on face‐to‐face encounters in dentistry and oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS) in order to promote physical distancing and reduce viral propagation. To facilitate continued assessment of dental, orthodontic, and maxillofacial emergencies, a photographic triage system was initiated at Alder Hey Children's Hospital (AHCH). We will discuss the benefits this system offers at a patient, clinician, departmental, and NHS service level. Aim To share our experience of photographic triage during the first 3 months of COVID‐19 lockdown, lessons learned, and recommendations. Design Prospective data collection over 3 months. Results 220 photographic referrals were received, and swelling (30%) and dental trauma (27%) were the most common presenting complaints. 57% of referrals were not seen, 23% were seen semi‐urgently, and 20% booked for outpatient review. Of those seen, 7 children were seen elsewhere and 44 were seen face‐to‐face at AHCH, with 8 being admitted. Conclusion Photographic triage reduced physical encounters and proved useful in training junior staff, assessment of new patient referrals, and first on‐call from home. Implementation should be considered throughout dental, orthodontic, and OMFS departments nationwide. In the event of a COVID‐19 resurgence or emergence of a new pandemic, photographic triage could facilitate physical distancing and service provision.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementation of photographic triage in a paediatric dental, orthodontic, and maxillofacial department during COVID‐19

Davies

Howells

Lee

et al. 2021

Int J Paed Dentistry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In our cohort no case was provided with photographic documentation. Several authors suggested that clinical images can be useful for an initial consultation and prioritize [32][33][34][35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Referral Patterns in Oral Medicine: A Retrospective Analysis of an Oral Medicine University Center in Southern Italy

Coppola

Baldares

Blasi

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Referral of a patient from one healthcare provider to another is an important part of the medical practice. The aim of this study was to analyze the referral process to the Oral Medicine Unit in a university-based tertiary center in Southern Italy. A chart review of new referrals to the Oral Medicine Unit during a 24-month period was conducted. The following data were recorded: demographic characteristics, medical history, number of physicians seen prior to Oral Medicine assessment, referral source, diagnostic procedures ordered by referrals, reason for referral, site of lesion/condition, final diagnosis. Then, the rates of correct identification for health-care professionals and the appropriateness of the reference diagnosis based on the disease were calculated with descriptive statistic indicators. There were 583 new first consultations. A total of 62.9% of patients were referred by general dental practitioners, 27.4% by physicians, and 9.7% did not have a referral. The most common diseases for referral were immune-mediated diseases (39.6%) and oro-facial pain disorders (25.2%). Only 28.5% of patients had a correct provisional diagnosis. The results of this study show the need to implement curricula in the field of oral medicine among dentistry and medical students, and to support the continuing education among healthcare providers to reduce diagnostic delay for oral diseases.

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“…Utilisation of digital photographs for evaluation and sharing photographs with patients has been reported . Clinical photographs included with referral letters are at least helpful, and a letter without a photograph may not provide adequate information to prioritize suspicion of benign vs potential malignant pathologies. Dermatology trainees commonly use their smartphones for these reasons .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, since measurements can be applied to digital images, parameters such as lesion size and possibly colour can be recorded . A clinical photograph accompanying a referral letter can assist with differential diagnosis and the prioritizing of patient appointments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical photography: Attitudes among dental students in two dental institutions

Czerninski

Zaidman

Keshet

et al. 2019

Eur J Dental Education

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Introduction:Clinical photography is an important tool in teaching, clinical practice and academia especially for mucosal pathologies. Our aim was to examine differences in attitude towards clinical photography for mucosal pathologies among students.Methods: Questionnaires about clinical photography were completed by students in dental teaching hospitals in Birmingham (UK) and in Israel (ISR). The questionnaires focussed on the perceived value of clinical photography for a number of purposes and also explored perceived barriers to clinical photography and technology in general. The two departments have different access to clinical photography; in the United Kingdom a separate dedicated photography unit takes all the photographs, whereas in ISR the clinicians take their own photographs. Pearson Chi-squared tests determined statistical significance between categorical variables (P < 0.05).Results: Among the 163 respondents, there were no significant differences in the value of photography between countries or genders. The participants felt that the aims of photography included: teaching (99.4%), monitoring premalignancy (97.6%) and clinician communication (95.8%). More than 90% thought photography should be used for dysplasia and erosive lichen planus cases. Respondents from ISR were more in favour of photographing pathologies including simple leukoplakia, reticular lichen planus, vesiculobullous or pigmented lesions (P < 0.001 compared to the UK). Overall, the main reasons for not using photography were time constraints (25.5%) and access (21.8%). Conclusions:This study highlights a favourable attitude towards clinical photography for various teaching and clinical indications thereby demonstrating its importance. In order to maximise the benefits of clinical photography, access should be simplified. K E Y W O R D Sclinical imaging, oral medicine, undergraduate *

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Does the use of photography help to prioritise patients when referring to the oral medicine department?

Cited by 12 publications

References 7 publications

Implementation of photographic triage in a paediatric dental, orthodontic, and maxillofacial department during COVID‐19

Implementation of photographic triage in a paediatric dental, orthodontic, and maxillofacial department during COVID‐19

Referral Patterns in Oral Medicine: A Retrospective Analysis of an Oral Medicine University Center in Southern Italy

Clinical photography: Attitudes among dental students in two dental institutions

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