Patient Experience Decoded
Our belief system tells us that we are borne to be happy and enjoying life. Human DNA is designed to continually evolve with biological and mental challenges. Taking our bodies and health system for granted is always a default practice by our subconscious mind. There are two type of neglects; Neglect by choice & Neglect by chance.
The busy nature of our lives, stresses of modern life , high performance jobs, procrastination and taken for granted attitude slowly and softly takes away all the good things given to human by birth .
Modern Dental clinics are full of patients seeking treatments to their wide variety of Dental issues like badly damaged tooth which has been hit by decay beyond repair and or mostly requiring advanced procedures like root canal intervention, crowns, dental implants and sometimes removal of tooth itself.
Dental clinics and Dentists are also getting tuned to provide fast paced treatment to our Dental problem as now time is an issue. we see promotional Dentistry, fast and quick fix Dentistry leaving and leading to short term patient Dentist relationships and treatment outcomes.
Relationships based approach
Patients and Dentists are two sides of same coin. Their is a lot of data that proves Dental care is no different then customer experience anywhere else. The hero of the practice is the patient and the director of care being the Dentist and together with the team of support staff the quality and tranquility of Dental care is what decides the long term relationships.
Dental Practices Following established points based upon our experience at Identityplus Dental centres at Delhi and Gurugram since 2002 can play a big decisive role in how Dental care can be best provided to our population by creating a overall wow experience :
1. Structured practices and protocols :
Having a defined evidence based protocol right from the time of first appointment to different treatment stages upto case completion is of immense value towards patient oriented approach. Limiting the surprises and delivering to commitment always remains the goal.
2. Strong communication from start to finish :
Communication about the patient concerns with proper diagnosis is key to treatment being undertaken or not. Diagnosis should be shared with patient in totality. All patient concerns be addressed . Final treatment plan should always be given in written and patient allowed to think about the same with all the pros and cons. Urgency of treating should never be expressed except if it’s an emergency.
3. Transparent billing and Ease of payments :
Having a uniform pricing policy especially for daily routine procedures those are straight forward does install confidence in our patients and speaks volume about the practice being caring and friendly
4. Value for Money by quality and durable work
” How long will my filling /crown last “. Almost in our 20+ years of experience we have come across this frequent question by our patient on a daily basis. We need to treat our Patients as human first and keeping in mind that if tomorrow patient relocates or we choose to retire ,someone else ( New Dentist ) is proud of what treatment we did in past
5. Preventive Care based approach with least intervention is most welcomed
Almost in our 20 years of experience ,we have never come across a single patient who is happy to visit Dentist by choice. Almost everyone is initially scared and wants to avoid any type of treatment. Having Preventive approach, staged approach will keep appointment frequency and duration short and be more acceptable to the patient. Preventive and caring approach will convert them into Dental conscious and positive patients.
6. Newer treatment modalities with almost no drill and minimal pain wherever possible
Current advancement in technology and better understanding of Dental diseases does allows us to manage cases with almost minimal or no pain. Topical fluorides applications, and fluoridated tooth paste and mouthwashes are playing a bigger role in managing initial stages of tooth decay and preventing newer lesions to appear slow
7. Modern solutions that allow decay reversal by restoring tooth to natural and stronger like original
Remineralisation techniques by use of tooth impregnation by acid and minerals , adhesive bonding, Biomimetic natural dentistry are opening up newer avenues for patient care . Modern dentistry is not only promising but least invasive.
8. Emphasis on Home care , home remedies and long term care
Almost every patient expects to be suggested home care that is simple, affordable and easy to follow. Patient highly appreciate home remedies and are more joyful to learn about them
9. Relationship building through customised care and family dentistry approach
Private Dental Practices are best suited to treat dental patients as compared to Corporate Dentistry ,where the impetus is primarily more numbers of patients and revenue generation. A Private dentist have an edge towards building long term relationships and confidence. We have been in practice since 2002 and now we are seeing children’s of those children we treated two decade ago. Longevity have also increased, Patient who were treated in their middle age are now seeking more dental care as senior population in our practice. Thus we see a family dentistry approach is the way to go
10. Lastly, Having a strong Patient follow up protocol
Software based and personal communication through email and social media is the need of the hour . Taking regular feedbacks, asking for any concerns, reminder for follow up appointment besides providing relevant educational and informative post on social media about dentistry and dental cases allows our patient to cement our reputation as experts and helps us retain our patients forever.
Identityplus dental centre (identity+) is an ultramodern dental centre based out of Gurgaon and Delhi. Dr Vishakha Gupta and Dr Sharad Gupta are dedicated to create a positive enviornment for dental care , dental society and believe in Being Customer centric in our approach to provide best dental care for our patients.The Dentist couple are currently practising at Identityplus dental centre sec 43 Gurugram and Hari nagar delhi.
