Dental Protection has launched a new online course designed to help dentists navigate adverse outcomes with patients under their care.
Developed by Dental Protection’s Risk Prevention team in collaboration with its in-house dentolegal experts, the ‘Navigating Adverse Outcomes’ course provides information on effective strategies and skills that can help dentists successfully work with patients who have suffered an adverse outcome.
Key elements of the course include:
- Examining research and perspectives regarding the patient and dentist experience of adverse outcomes
- Outlining the ethical position for a dentist to discuss adverse outcomes with patients and their carers
- Detailing best-practice models for communicating with patients following an adverse outcome.
The Navigating Adverse Outcomes course is part of Dental Protection’s Online Learning Hub, which hosts a wide range of resources aimed at helping dentists reduce their risk and supporting them in their professional development. These include interactive courses, webinars and videos which can be accessed at any time.
All courses found on the Online Learning Hub have been developed by Dental Protection’s Risk Prevention team in collaboration with expert dentolegal colleagues and cover a range of dentolegal and ethical topics, as well issues related to wellbeing and clinical risk management.
The Online Learning Hub can be accessed at no extra cost for Dental Protection members and with courses undertaken counting towards CPD.
Dr Raj Rattan, Dental Director at Dental Protection, said: “As clinicians we always aim to provide the highest standards of care, but sometimes things don’t go as well as planned or as we expect. We are after all humans.
“Where there is an adverse outcome, our patients may or may not seek redress. It is important that we have the correct tools to engage with patients effectively, and have open and honest discussions to explain a clinical outcome and, importantly, what remedial action is advised. The aim is to repair and hopefully restore the patient relationship. This in turn can mitigate dentolegal repercussions.
“Dental Protection’s Navigating Adverse Outcomes course is a first of its kind for dentists as it outlines the ethical, legal and regulatory obligations they may face following an adverse outcome in an easy to understand and informative way. The intention is to reduce risk for dentists, but also to build patient trust.
“I would encourage all members to make use of our Online Learning Hub – it is a benefit of membership, counts towards CPD requirements and the resources can be accessed any time.”
