How can we consistently engage our patients in their oral
health? Why should we want to engage and involve them in treatment and
prevention planning? Let me start with a simple, but true and very relevant
story.
I know nothing about cars. All I know is that I need to get
mire tires rotated every 5,000 miles and my oil changed every 3,000-5,000
miles. I take my car into the shop about every three to four months, pay for
the oil and tire rotation, and then pay for some of the fixes the mechanics
always seem to find. Notice my language here, I have never been extremely
trusting because it seems like there is always something that needs fixing.
Also, I don't know any better so I always feel like they are taking advantage
of my lack of knowledge. For years, I wasn't able to find one car shop that I
trusted or felt good about. Until recently when I had an experience at this new
car shop that changed my perception of car repair, oil change, and dentistry
altogether.
After servicing my car they told me there were a couple
things that I needed to consider moving forward. However, they didn't try
"sell" me on any fixes because they didn't have to, they let some
simple images and descriptors educate me and do all the talking. They said when
you get home, you'll get an email from us with the full workup of your car,
give us a call when you've looked it over. They sent me an email with a
personal login to open my own portal. When I logged in I was able to see 20
images of my tires, engine, tubes, spark plugs, filters, etc... Each image
included a simple descriptor that explained the deficiency shown in the image
and how urgent that problem was. They provided a timeline for repair with each
image. This changed how I saw car shops, car mechanics and eventually
dentistry!
All of the sudden, I had a foundation of knowledge to be
able to ask appropriate questions and to become engaged in the car repair
process. I felt like they weren't trying to trick me into repairing something
that didn't need repair. I trusted this shop and became a lifelong customer
because they gave me the tools to become involved in the process. I'm hoping
you've been able to see the connection between my limited knowledge about cars
and how I felt, and what our patients know about dentistry and how they feel.
In 2006, United States Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Kenneth
P. Moritsugu said, “Low health literacy is a threat to the health and wellbeing
of Americans. And low health literacy crosses all sectors of our society. All
ages, races, incomes, and education levels are challenged by low health
literacy" (CDC, 2013). Kelly and Haidet (2006) concluded that doctors
commonly overestimate patients’ literacy levels. So what can we do to educate,
engage, and involve our patients into this foreign world of dentistry?
For starters, let’s provide our patients with the tools to
OWN their oral health. Just like the car shop did for me, we should be
searching for methods to engage our patients by providing them with relevant
images, personalized descriptors, and an online portal they can access away
from the office. Keeping terms simple, visual, and accessible online are
crucial factors to our patients becoming more engaged in their treatment and
prevention plans. I’ve been searching for years for an online system or
software that provides all three tools for dental patients (simple, visual, personal
and accessible online). The one I recommend, and enjoy the most is found at https://livesmileapp.com.
I’ve been out of dental school for just five months but I’m
confident using the tools I learned at the car shop, and available through
LiveSmile, has improved my case acceptance, my patient retention, and overall
patient experience.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2013). Lead
health literacy initiative. Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tools/leadliteracy.htm
Kelly, P., & Haidet, P. (2006). Physician Overestimation
Of Patient Literacy: A Potential Source Of Health Care Disparities. Patient
Education and Counseling, 119-122.