Digital distraction in healthcare is emerging as a great threat to patient safety and doctor well-being.1 This phenomenon involves the habitual use of personal electronic devices by healthcare providers for nonclinical purposes during appointments and procedures.2 Some call it “distracted doctoring.” Matt Richtel, a journalist for the New York Times who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work on distracted driving, ...

“Doctor, can I record our conversation today?”

Have you ever heard that question from a patient or a patient’s family member? Or have you ever been worried a patient might record the visit without asking permission? As smartphones have become ubiquitous—giving patients a video and audio recorder that’s always at hand—the question of whether these devices should be allowed in the dental office setting ...

Although the Internet provides a plethora of useful information, it becomes problematic when patients post unfavorable opinions about dentists and/or their services. It can be difficult to prevent negative comments from being posted to social media sites. It can be equally difficult to obtain a retraction or have a negative comment removed once it has been posted.

Even if you can find the source ...

Even when a patient is provided with care that meets the standard of care, complications may arise during, or as a result of, the treatment provided. It is often helpful to review this type of case to determine not only the root causes, but also how the complication was managed.

Case Study

A patient presented to a dentist for evaluation of tooth extraction and fitting of dentures. During the extraction, the patient complained of extreme pain and allegedly stated it felt as ...

Develop appropriate policies and procedures to reduce potential infections and improve patient safety.

Infection control plays a critical role in the community dental office and should serve as the foundation for a high-quality, safe, and healthy treatment environment. Even on casual inspection, patients should readily recognize whether infection control techniques have been implemented in all areas of the practice. This includes examination rooms, areas where equipment is stored and medication is dispensed, reception and front-office business stations, as well as locations ...

System and user errors result in many EHR-related dental claims.

Electronic health records (EHRs) are a collection of health records that present a comprehensive picture of an individual’s health. Records that are a part of that collection include electronic dental records (EDRs) and electronic medical records (EMRs). The end goal for EHRs is to have all of a patient’s information available for use by any healthcare provider or, in an aggregated form, for use in population health.

While many see the interaction ...