Patient-centred care: how close to this are we?

Abstract

This article focusses on those aspects of patient centred care which are relevant to dentistry. Understanding motivating factors and patient expectations of treatment are fundamental in the provision of high quality care. Ensuring that patients have realistic expectations can be enhanced by providing good information and communicating well at all stages of treatmentfactors which also enhance the overall patient experience. A wide range of factors contribute to patient satisfaction with treatment, alongside meeting expectations and ensuring that the treatment experience is positive, but some of these factors are still not fully understood and more work is required to understand, for example, how patients' psychological traits may influence satisfaction. It is essential that clinicians consider these factors when providing care for their patients and this paper discusses current evidence relating to patient expectations, patient experience, effectiveness of treatment (primarily quality of life) and also those factors which may impact on patient satisfaction with treatment. Clinical relevance statement Patient centred care involves being proactive about getting patients involved in decision making and build good professional relationships with to enhance communication and trust. Brief objectives statement To discuss the relevant aspects of patient centred care to dentistry including patient expectations, patient experience, quality of life and also those factors which may impact on patient satisfaction with treatment.

Valid consent and orthodontic treatment

“…1 Optimal patient-centred methods of assessing and describing risks are being explored. 28,44 Focus groups encourage communication between participants in order to explore people's knowledge, experiences and concerns. 13 The use of such groups has been shown to be an effective way of determining what information patients want regarding their health and available treatment options.…”

“…11,45 It is a crucial element of patientcentred care and is becoming the preferred model for communication in the healthcare environment. 44,59 'Preference sensitive care' describes those situations in which the benefits and risks of any given treatment option, such as those found in orthodontics, are not 'clear-cut'. 11,60 Decision aids may, for example, help OHPs and patients decide about treatment in some situations.…”

“…61,62 The decision aids may be time consuming and labour intensive to produce, but aim to provide an evidence-based framework on which the consultation and decision-making process can be based. 44 Impartial, balanced and accurate patient information leaflets (PILs), 'Apps' and DVDs, for example, are potentially invaluable sources of information to reference for patients considering treatment. 11,44,63 A UK study, however, has shown the inadequacies of a number of available orthodontic PILs from professional organisations in that country.…”

“…44 Impartial, balanced and accurate patient information leaflets (PILs), 'Apps' and DVDs, for example, are potentially invaluable sources of information to reference for patients considering treatment. 11,44,63 A UK study, however, has shown the inadequacies of a number of available orthodontic PILs from professional organisations in that country.…”

Evaluation of treatment risks and the quality of information contained within the websites of specialist orthodontists

“…Further research, however, is still required on how to communicate online information most effectively to patients. 48 One potential source of delivery of reliable information (including information related to orthodontic treatment risk) may be via the websites of specialist orthodontists to which prospective and current patients can be directed. This may be done in collaboration with colleagues and with guidance from national orthodontic societies.…”