practice insight
Patient-Centered Systems :
How Cultural and Generational Trends Impact Patient Care
by Bethany Petty
18
Historically , practice management techniques and systems are created by the evaluation of what seems to work and what seems to fail – objective evidence and experiential deductions . While these deductions are relevant and useful , they are not comprehensive . To fully evaluate a system or a technique , it is critically important to have a baseline understanding of the cultural and generational influences impacting the person in the chair .
Systems created by focusing primarily on outcomes leads to inadequate systems and a doctor-centered practice rather than a patient-centered practice ( Figure 1 ). An example of focusing on objective evidence is evaluating the results of treatment acceptance . A patient arrives in the office and requires dental work . The team implements the system that they have discussed for educating the patient and presenting the treatment plan . After the education , financial planning , and appointment setting , the team tracks the outcomes . Did the patient schedule ? If the patient leaves without scheduling , the best teams attempt to understand why he failed to appoint . Teams might ask questions like , “ Was it money that prevented him from scheduling ?; Did he seem to understand his treatment and why he needed it ?; Did we provide him with all the necessary literature ?” While these are excellent questions , they only focus on the objective evidence and outcomes – what the team did and how the patient responded . Then , teams take these outcomes and make changes as they attempt to tweak systems toward the desired outcome . In order to provide comprehensive care and to build systems that work , teams must attend to the subjective or unseen influences on patients .
Individual subjective influences include but are not limited to family history , personality , past experiences , expectations , motives , religious beliefs , and economic status . When dental professionals attempt to understand the subjective influences ,
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www . northtexasdentistry . com they often focus on individual influencers such as these . In the previous example , it might include comments such as , “ His whole family never seems to follow through with treatment ,” or “ He is so quiet , I just cannot get a read on him ,” or “ We ’ ve talked to him about this crown three times now , and he simply will not schedule ,” or “ I just don ’ t think he has the money to do it .” While these are critically important to consider , this article will focus on broader and more collective influences such as culture , technology , and generational norms .
In order to stay connected to patients in the ever-changing landscape and to continue to provide the ultimate care , there are six steps that every provider and team should follow .
First , forget the past and be excited about the future . Although there are many negatives to the changing dynamics in communication and cultural expectations , there are many opportunities to capture these negatives and turn them into good . In fact , the dental field must adapt to the changes to stay relevant and useful to the general population . Smartphones , IPADs , social media , and the Internet itself are changing the future trajectory of the world . In reality , the world is still in the infantile stages of implementing and adjusting to the digital age . It is crucial that the dental field recognizes the global impact of this changing landscape and adjusts to meet new needs . The future represents an opportunity to adapt to change and to lead in innovation , never completely forgetting the past but focusing all energy on responding to new needs and anticipating the needs ahead .
Second , amid all the changes in the dental world , remain committed to the main goal – serving patients with comprehensive education and high quality care . The success of the practice will follow . All too often systems are built around the success of the