Teamwork and Values in Dental Practice

Introduction

Teams in the health profession aim at providing optimal patient care (Cummings and Bennett, 2012). The framework ‘compassion in practice’ and the general dental council standards highlight the major values that are required in order to achieve effective team work in the health care setting. The ‘6c’s’ give a summary of those necessary values. Commitment is one of the values that is necessary in the dental profession (Cummings and Bennett, 2012). All the people who are in the profession are expected to be committed to their work and to work hard towards the success of the team. Also, they are expected to be courageous in what they do. This translates to confidence of the patients to the professional. Competence is also key in the practice. The dental professionals are expected to be competent to ensure the patients’ satisfaction is achieved. Being compassionate to the patients is also essential in the practice. To add, professionals are expected to be caring to the patients. In the dental practice, team work is essential (Evans, Henderson and Johnson, 2010). The success of the dental team is directly affected by each of its team members through their actions (Craig, 2015). Communication is one of the factors that affect teamwork. Each team member has the ability to make the team more successful. Communication is not only important to the team members, but also to the patient (Evans, Henderson and Johnson, 2010). Most of the patients judge their experiences mostly by what is communicated to them. Therefore, it is important for all the team members to communicate to the patients effectively so as to achieve customer satisfaction. Leadership is another factor that affects the dental practice. Considering the clinical situations which explores on these values, I will reflect on the scenarios that I have encountered and on how the values have improved and challenged my approach to teamwork.

Scenario 1

The first incidence that I encountered is when the dental operator that I was to assist did not turn up for the operation. He had fallen ill the previous night and he informed me about it. He knew that for an effective team work, communication is key. I relayed this information to my tutor and we decided that I would step in and do the operation. This also required me to change the name of the operator from the computer and indicate mine. With this information, I had to prepare myself well for the session and take up his role. I would not have informed the patient not to turn up since it was too late and it would have also inconvenienced the patient. I went through the patient information thoroughly because I wanted to deliver the best services. Also, the GDC standards for the dental teams expects us to work in a way that the interests of the patients are put first, and to behave in a way that the patient’s confidence is maintained. Therefore, it was necessary for me to prepare well so as to protect the patient from any harm and also to maintain the patient’s confidence in me. To add, the teams are expected to protect and maintain patient’s information. I was to meet the patient in the afternoon, hence, I had adequate time to prepare and consult on the issues that I would have found difficult to deal with. The challenge that I had to deal with was to find an assistant. I knew that I would not have delivered effectively alone and an assistant was important for the success of the operation. Therefore, I talked to one of my colleagues and luckily, he agreed to assist. The patient turned up in good time and I was able to carry out a new patient examination and also take a history. Also, I had to seek consent from the patient because it is a requirement by the GDC standards for the dental teams. The patient was okay with me and I was able to carry out the operation. The team that was involved was the tutor, the receptionist, my assistant and I.

The scenario was unexpected because all along I knew that I was the assistant but due to that the incidence of the operator falling ill, I had to take up the task. I am happy that the operation went on well and the patient was happy with the services that we offered. The team was very cooperative and the operation was a success. Communication and coordination between the team members was crucial. It enabled us to be conversant with all the operations as well as the goal that were set. Also, we were able to work towards achieving the goals of the team. The dental operator was a good team player who communicated about his absence in advance and this made me to prepare well. I believe that looking an assistant was the best decision that I made and if faced with a similar situation, I would handle it in the same way.

Scenario 2

It was on a Monday morning and I was the dental operator. I was expecting to see a patient in the afternoon. I had prepared very well for the same and so I was ready. I knew that I was to put the interest and the health of the patient first hence the thorough preparation. The person who was to assist me texted me in the morning at around 9.00 am that he would not turn up for the operation. At first, I was very confused on how it would go since the notice was too short. However, I could not have cancelled the patient’s appointment and I had to look for an alternative. I raised the issue to my tutor who advised that I should request a nurse to assist. I therefore turned up without an assistant and requested one of the nurses to help. They were happy and willing to do so. However, the nurse was called to an impromptu meeting and she had to leave when we were half way through the operation. Luckily, she requested a colleague to come and assist me. I had to update the nurse that replaced her colleague on the operation and take her through what was going on. Also, I had to introduce her to the patient. This interruption was a bit confusing and I felt that it would have been best if there was no such interruption. Later in the session, the nurse left and she was replaced with a student who had just finished his session. This meant that I would update him and let him know what we had done and what was yet to be done. Also, I had to introduce the student to the patient. The whole incident was confusing and it was not the best. I really needed an assistance and I could not have managed alone because I was carrying out dental charting. I could not have managed to look into the patient’s mouth and at the same time fill in the chart on the computer. The team involved the tutor, the two nurses who assisted, the student and I.

Generally, the session was good. However, it was a bit unorganized due to the change of assistants. I feel like I could have requested one of my colleagues who was free to come and assist me. I believe it would have been better and more organized. It was also a lesson and I know what to do when I am faced with such a challenge in the future. Having effective management and leadership skills is important. The management skills allow one to be more organized and a leader is able to foresee a problem that would arise in the future. I had not foreseen that there will be challenges that will be encountered as a result of turning up without an assistant. The scenario has challenged me to improve on my management and leadership skills so that I can become better in my career.

Scenario 3

My third scenario is when I met my first paediatric patient. I was the dental operator and I had a colleague who had a better experience in the paediatric as an assistant. It involved a young girl who was four years. The girl was anxious and it seemed like she was not comfortable around me. I was a little bit nervous since I had not handled such a patient before. I knew that I had to show compassion but I didn’t understand how I would do it to the girl. The girl seemed uneasy and it took the intervention of my assistant to calm her down. I was caring, but the girl did not seem to understand. Additionally, I did not know how to relate with the young girl but my assistant was helpful. My assistant got along with the girl so well since the topic she was discussing with the child was about movies and cartoons resonated well with the child. The questions that I was asking the child were not well answered while some even went unanswered. I feel like I was not able to extract information from the child since I did not have the skills. However, I was able to get most of the information from the parents. From the session I learnt that I had to learn more about the paediatric because I discovered that I was not so good in relating with children. I have since learnt and I have really improved in my communication and interaction with the children. The team was made up of my tutor, my assistant and I. Commitment to the team accountability, leadership and process is key to the success of teamwork (Leggat, 2007). My assistant showed that she was committed our success as a team by stepping up and engaging the baby. This was crucial since she had identified that I was struggling to get information from the child. Also, the team members should understand the process and this was evident in how my assistant stepped in showing the she was conversant with the whole process. This is crucial for the success of the team. To add, the dental standards require the team members to take measures and protect their colleagues. My assistant was able to protect me and all the issues that I was facing on not knowing how to handle the paediatric was only known to me and her. This also raised my confidence for I knew that there was a person who was there for me. Also, I was able to learn from her a few things on how to interact with paediatrics betters, hence improving on my skills. I would have first researched on the paediatrics and on how to handle the children before. I believe that the knowledge would have enabled me to understand the child better and to be competent when handling her. In the future, I will be conducting prior research before the assignments to ensure that high quality services will be delivered.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is evident that the values that are highlighted in the framework ‘compassion in practice’ and the general dental council standards exist in reality and they are important in the dental practice. From the scenarios above, it is clear that the values are intertwined where one goes hand in hand with the other. Hence these values cannot be considered in isolation. Communication is common through the three scenarios, emphasizing its importance in the dental practice. Also, competence has played a great role in the three scenarios since it is key in ensuring that the best care is provided. As a dental student, I am continually learning on these values and how to incorporate them in my practice. To add, this assignment has enabled me to reflect on my behaviour as well as that of the other team members. I have been able to identify the areas that I need to improve on and also on those areas that I am best in. This will enable me to be a better team player in the future and facilitate effective team work.

References

Craig, A., 2015. The implications of the new GDC standards for dental professionals. Dental update, 42(6), pp.574-579.

Cummings, J. and Bennett, V., 2012. Compassion in practice. Nursing, Midwifery and Care Staff. Our Vision and Strategy.

Evans, J., Henderson, A. and Johnson, N., 2010. The future of education and training in dental technology: designing a dental curriculum that facilitates teamwork across the oral health professions. British dental journal, 208(5), pp.227-230.

Leggat, S.G., 2007. Effective healthcare teams require effective team members: defining teamwork competencies. BMC health services research, 7(1), pp.1-10.