Lets face it. A patient can die on the chair during a disimpaction surgery. The cause of the same may or may not be related to the actual disimpaction surgery.
Complications occur all the time. Any surgeon who is working on patients will face complications all the time.
So now the question arises how much disclose to the patient during pre treatment counseling regarding complications. This can be an issue with new practitioners who are short of patients. They may feel that disclosing the potential complications may lead to patient attrition.
Now Lord forbid if any complications do occur, it leads to patient disappointment, attrition, arguments, law suits etc.
I firmly advise everybody to FULLY DISCLOSE & THROUGHLY EXPLAIN all potential complications to each & every patient.
That you will loose the patient by doing so is a MYTH. You will in fact gain the patients respect & in the long run this will be a great practice builder.
Explain the potential complications to the patient but do not transmit your fears & anxiety to him.
It is how you explain that is important. Also you need to explain to the patient about the likelihood of professional charges increasing due to management of complications.
Remember, explaining about complications before treatment is counseling. Explaining them after they actually occur is excuses.
If a dentist feels anxious about talking about complications than he needs to take one is to one training to improve his communication skills.
If a dentist feels anxious about loss of patients & subsequently professional receipts than he needs to get his finances in order with the help of a practice management mentor.
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Thanks and best regards,
Your Sincerely,
Dr. Veerendra Darakh
