April marks Child Abuse Awareness Month. As professionals who typically have frequent contact with children, dentists are obligated to document and report suspected cases of abuse in all states. They are not obligated to prove abuse or neglect, but just to report what is suspected. Dental hygienists may be similarly obligated, depending on the state in which they work.
It is estimated that 90 million or more Americans snore and about 30 million suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). OSA causes both physical and emotional issues that go beyond just the patient, but impact the entire family. Symptoms that are experienced as a result of OSA and Sleep Disordered Breathing Syndromes (SDB) include:
Topics: dentistry, sleep apnea, dentistry and sleeping
Which of the five senses do people worry about losing the most? Vision. When talking with your patients, it’s important to remind them about taking good care of their vision. Without vision, life becomes infinitely more challenging. In addition to the loss of independence, vision loss can also lead to:
Topics: vision issues and driving, vision benefits, eye health awareness, vision
March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month, which is a time to raise awareness about standard eye safety protocols, review training for employees that involves eye safety in the workplace and double check that Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements are being met by places of work. As an eye care provider, this is a good time to talk with your patients about keeping their eyes safe at work.
Patient Safety Awareness Week, a campaign of the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), is March 13-19, 2016. The goal of the program is to increase awareness of patient safety among healthcare professionals and the general public. What can your office do to support a safety-first experience?
As an eye care provider, you are very knowledgeable about diseases, diagnoses, and treatments. Your patients, however, may never have even heard of the names of eye diseases before. To patients, the names may sound quite scary. Vision literacy allows your patients to stay informed and ensure they fully understand their options. Keep in mind the following tips for providing your patients with vision literacy.
Topics: provider tips, vision
As a dental provider, it's important to have as much of an all-inclusive policy as possible regarding patients. It's good to try to help all of those who need it. The problem that dentists run into when trying to accommodate everyone, however, is financial availability and insurance. In order to help everyone, patients who don't have insurance need to be accepted, as well as those who do have access to it. The question is does accepting insurance hurt or help your practice?
Ensuring the comfort of patients with disabilities when they come in for treatment is a goal for dentists. Here are ways to make a visit to the dentist as easy as possible for those with disabilities.
Some patients are easier to communicate with than others. Whether you or your staff is at fault or not, there are several ways for your dental hygienists to successfully handle patients who have a complaint.
If a dentist is the head of a dental office, then the dental hygienist is the face. Of all the employees in your office, your hygienist spends more time with your patients than anyone, including yourself. A good hygienist can attract, retain and multiply your patients. A bad one can wreck your practice. This is why choosing the right hygienist is crucial.
