Including Clients, Family and Care Providers as Appropriate in the Education Process

In 2008 a process began to establish a new base upon which to build entry to practice standards for dental hygienists. Much collaboration and deliberation has occurred over these many years with many dental hygiene stakeholders. The result is that the Entry to Practice Competencies and Standards for Canadian Dental Hygienists has been accepted by the Federation of Dental Hygiene Regulatory Authorities (FDHRA) who have instructed both the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada and the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board to revise their requirements to meet these standards.  In recognition of the new standards this series of blog posts addresses issues drawn from the standards. If you have an interest in contributing a blog post to this series please contact us.

Entry to Practice Competencies and Standards for Canadian Dental Hygienists

Standard G3. Include clients, family and care providers as appropriate in the
education process.

Including Clients, Family and Care Providers as Appropriate in the Education Process

by Sharon Boyd, RDH

Somewhere there exists a grey area that we as oral health professionals must step into and involve people other than our patients in their oral health care needs. Whether it is a teen that has a smoking habit, a hearing impaired patient or a person with mental or physical disabilities, there comes the point where it is our duty to involve a 3rd party such as a family member, friend or care giver.

It is a fine line walked by the members of a dental practice. We know due to confidentiality laws and regulations that we shouldn’t share personal information of our patient with anyone else. The question is, is this person still a dependent? Do they have a caregiver who manages their health care and living needs? Speaking with the patient directly is professional and polite, but don’t refrain from bringing in another person to get down to the understanding the true needs of each individual. Are there physical limitations that they need help with, that a caregiver can compensate for? What does the caregiver need help with, and what are their primary concerns?

With patients who aren’t English speaking, they usually have a translator present. By the patient bringing them along they are already telling the office that they expect you to tell the translator anything that is necessary for them to know. You don’t need to hide any information from the translator, it’s important to involve them in the entire patient education process. Go through the normal pattern of patient instruction that you normally would, but direct it toward both people.

Have the 3rd party in at the beginning of the appointment to determine any concerns that the patient may be having. Invite them to participate in the appointment or to come back when the procedures are complete to review home care procedures. Discuss any assistance they can give with gross motor skills such as putting a tennis ball or bicycle handle on the patient’s toothbrush, making it easier for them to hold. Don’t bypass the patient altogether for people with specific needs. Find a middle ground that respects the patient.

Always remember to be realistic. Aim for perfection, but start with the major needs that these types of patients have and go from there. Build on them at each consecutive visit and get feedback from the patient as well as the person accompanying them. Find out what works and evaluate it at each appointment. Sometimes the person that truly knows the patient’s needs is the person accompanying them on their visit to your office.