The dentist-patient relationship is based on trust, which is vital in achieving patients’ best interest. In order to ensure patients receive the best dental care possible, the General Dental Council (GDC) binds the dental team to ethical principles that require effective leadership, management skills and clinical competence. (GDC, 2013) Ethical dilemmas involving the dental team require a diplomatic approach in solving so that the patients’ best interest are not undermined.
The dental team must not discriminate against any patient regardless of their cultural, ethnicity and national background as stated under 1.6.1 in the GDC guidelines (2013). Clarke et al (2009) report that over three million people in the UK come from countries where English is not their main language and almost a sixth of these lack the proficiencies to communicate in a social and employment setting.
I faced a situation when a Polish patient came in for extensive treatment on outreach. Due to language barriers, professional interpreters are hired to allow communication. Professional Interpreters have their own guidelines by the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
This patient’s treatment plan involved dental hygiene education since it had been poor and smoking cessation. I opted to address the issue such that I would build upon what he learnt on the previous appointment thus ensuring he is not overloaded with information. I planned to teach him the basic brushing technique and then demonstrate how to use interdental brushes (which are relatively more complex to comprehend) in the following appointment.
The interpreter has an outstanding reputation in that clinic. However, I realized that more time was being spent translating rathe...
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...d used in the process of improving the quality provided by the dental team and in future, I shall ensure that patients have the opportunity to hand in a complaint officially at the reception. I am disappointed that with my position, little could be offered to the patient for my mistake, but in practice I would consider offering compensation for the delay. I learnt from this experience to follow-up patients’ technical work on a regular basis to ensure any problems are dealt with early.
In conclusion, breakdown in communication is evident in the described scenarios suggesting its importance in effective team working. I demonstrated honesty and it was successful in managing these situations. In practice, ethical dilemmas could arise, but the patients’ best interest is still paramount and is dependent on the maintenance of trust between the dental team and the patient
The first component of the four D’s of negligence is duty. The dentist owed a duty of care to every one of his patients. Duty of care is a legal obligation a health care worker, in this case, the dentist, owes to their patient and, at times,...
...inical therapy that I have learned throughout the program. As a dental hygiene student I’m already implementing ethical, legal and regulatory concepts for the provision of dental hygiene process of care, and I will utilize this foundation to throughout my career as a professional oral health care provider. In addition, as dental hygienist I will pursue life-long learning to provide client care based decisions using the most current evidence-based research. Thus I pledge to continue to learn and expand my skills and knowledge throughout my career. Graduating from CADH has provided me with great academic knowledge and clinical skills necessary to apply the concepts of health promotion and disease prevention. The experience that I have acquired at CADH will allow me to provide client specific, empathetic, empathetic and suitable treatment to all of my future clients.
Goode, T. D., Dunne, M. C., & Bronheim, S. M. (2006). The evidence base for cultural and linguisitc competence in healthcare. The Commonweatlh Fund , 1-46.
Mentioning a diversity of culture and language in Australia with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians, the fact sheet indicates that these cultural differences may impact on the practitioner-client relationship and on the delivery of services. Therefore, in order to achieve good practice and health outcomes, physiotherapist should effort to understand the cultural needs and contexts of different patients. To be specific, practitioners need to be aware that some patients or clients have additional needs and modify their approach appropriately. For example, the Code of conduct strongly recommends becoming familiar with and using qualified language interpreters or cultural interpreters to help meet the communication needs of patients. Besides, it also includes more detailed information about Indigenous Australians. It stipulates significant disparities in the health status of Indigenous Australians result from the socio-economic inequities. Lastly, it is also comprised Aboriginal people’s preference of consultation or treatment by a same gender practitioner because of their traditional
The top priority of the medical interpreters is removing language barrier between the medical practitioners and the patients and helping the patients to treat properly. Indeed, impartiality can be challenged in medical setting. However, some articles are pointed out that the interpreter who is related to the patient is not always harmful to the patients and the medical practitioners. Therefore, when the medical interpreters take an assignment, they should consider what the best is for the patients and the medical practitioners.
In caring for patients in the hospital setting today one must look at variety of patients from various background. Healthcare providers should be aware of patients’ culture, beliefs and attitude to provide quality care. The Office of Minority Health of the Federal Government has developed a set of 14 principles called the CLAS Standards (Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services), which are mainly directed at healthcare organization, and are mandated for all organizations receiving Federal funds. The focus is on the terms of linguistic services and efforts to provide information to patients in their own language through availability of brochures, interpreters, and other means. In this essay I would like to exam cultural considerations with emphasis on impaired verbal communication related to language barrier, because I feel that communication barrier can cause a reduction in healthcare quality and low patient satisfaction.
After the treatment and procedure is complete, patients leave with healthier, more beautiful teeth, giving them the confidence to ask someone out on a date or the confidence to smile on an important job interview. Dentistry is and has been for centuries, an important aspect of people’s ...
In conclusion as shown in the two cases discussed, consent is one of, if not the most important consideration in nursing practice. Patients have an ethical and more importantly, legal right to the choice of the care they receive. As practitioners we have the duty to ensure we are fully aware and work in line with the principles of consent to ensure best practice.
Ethics is the moral principle of doing that is right for our patients. However, there are some situations in where doing what is right conflict with other principles. As dental hygienist we have to provide the best care for our patients. The services we offer need to avoid injuring or hurting the patients. Also, they need to be able to remove any existing condition that is affecting patients. However, the first thing we need to have in mind is that patients have the right to accept or refuse treatment. When our duty conflict with the patient’s decision of not receive treatment, this put us in an ethical dilemma.
Pashley, H.(2012). Overcoming barriers when caring for patients with limited english proficiency. Association of Operating Room Nurses.AORN Journal, 96(3), C10-C11. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0001-2092(12)00833-2
Team communication is vital in many aspects of our professions. It is human nature to coexist with others in various roles: be it in the military, emergency medicine, football, or even school. The American Heritage Dictionary (n.d.) defines communication as the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, writing, or behavior.
I believe “Healthcare is a right, not a privilege”. It can’t be emphasized enough that healthcare should be accessible to all, irrespective of income status. Growing up in a developing country, I realized that limited access to care, lack of awareness and poverty were the major contributing factors for deteriorating health in people. Dentistry forms a crucial component as oral health is “a window to overall health”. These factors galvanized me to engage in the dental profession.
...ulture is changing, Hmong are not all the same, importance of family, privacy issues, mental health issues, and small talk is important (Barrett et al., 1998, 181-182) . Overall, Barrett and others concluded that in order to improve interaction between patient and doctor all they have to do is follow these easy steps. First, is to be kind and have a positive attitude towards the patient and interpreter. Second, learn about each other’s cultures prior to meeting, to better understand each other. Third, better explain diagnosis and treatment options to patients. Fourth, improve translation providers need to get better interpreters who could concisely explain the consultation. Fifth, involve the family to make more thorough decisions. Sixth, respect patient’s decisions and there are still other alternatives to improve interaction (Barrett et al., 1998, 182-183).
In the provision of a high quality care, many factors influence the way it is provided; however, IC is crucial. A healthy work environment would result from open communication among the staff, it would increase the employees and patients’ level of satisfaction and sense of well-being. Good communication is the cornerstone for the IC, it is a complex process which requires to develop some skills to learn how to transmit some information. One of the most common factors leading to medical errors, are due to miscommunication, sometimes because the message is not clearly sent, and others because it is not clearly received or it is misunderstood (Danna, 2015). In terms of communication non-verbal communication must be taken into consideration as well; body language, facial expressions, use of space, and touch, entail conscious or unconscious movements and gestures, also impacts the communication among the staff and
Although health care questionnaires come in different languages, it can still be misinterpreted by the patient or their family. Without a way to communicate, the doctor can’t effectively treat the patient. One good example of this is the case from the book “The Spirit Catches you and you fall down”. In the book a Hmong family of refugees comes to the US and one of their daughters has epilepsy. They take her to the emergency room but are unable to communicate with the staff because they don’t understand or read English. When the doctors prescribe the little girl medication, the mother doesn’t understand how to administer it properly according to Western standards, so the child is taken by Child Protective Services. The family is given multiple chances, even being given a translator/counselor to make sure the child is getting the correct dosage. If there had been better communication, maybe the doctors could have adapted the treatment to the Hmong culture a little more so the mother could have had a chance to administer the medication correctly. In the article “Language: A Crucial Part of Cultural Competency” Jim McCaffree interviewed Laura McNally. Laura McNally works in the health care field so she knows firsthand the barriers of culture and language. McCaffree cites that “McNally says, though, “I’ve worked through interpreters, and it’s very difficult to work through an interpreter because it’s based on the interpreter’s understanding of what you’re telling them.” She adds that “in order for us to provide the care we need to provide, whether it’s in the hospital, in a community-based clinic, or out in the community, we have to be able to speak some of those languages.” (McCaffree