Dental Tribune Untited Kingdom Edition

the framework used in Inves- tors in People. This model for the manage- ment of clinical success would suggest that practices should not only work to clearly estab- lished procedures which have proved to be successful when undertaking individual treat- ments, which is indeed com- mon practice, but should also have an overall oral health plan or policy for their patient base. (See fig 1) Developing your practice oral health policy Developing a practice oral health policy does not have to be a complicated undertaking. The Investors in People Stand- ard would strongly suggest that the whole clinical team should be involved in its de- velopment. Current expert opinion would dictate an ap- proach based on oral health risk screening (eg Steele 2009). In its simplest form, a prac- tice oral health policy would, therefore, set out firstly how patient risk for common oral conditions such as caries, per- iodontal disease, non-carious tooth surface loss and oral cancer would be assessed. It would then outline an evi- dence-based approach to care for the various risk groups. Delivering Better Oral Health (Edition 2 2009) de- veloped by the English De- partment of Health in part- nership with the British Association for the study of Community Dentistry (BAS- CD) summarises a current evidence base: The personal development of team mem- bers may be informed by the oral health policy. For example, dental nurses may be trained to apply fluoride varnish. Benchmarking It will be clear from the model in Fig 1 that clinical audit will play a fundamental role in managing clinical success. A broad scope of outcome meas- urements will be of value. This might include oral health score audits, to indicate over- all levels of oral health being achieved, through to auditing individual tooth endodontic success. Patient surveys will also be important to monitor their perceptions and some payment plan specialists can help you with this. Some can also provide clinical study days on Managing Clinical Success, which also offer up to six hours verifiable CPD. Applying management principles can undoubtedly enhance your chances or sus- tained clinical success, which will result in a fully satisfied, loyal patient base, better job satisfaction and the on-going success and growth of your business. DT About the author Mike Busby was a principal in a large practice in Buck- inghamshire from 1976 until 2006. He has worked as an Advisor to Den- plan since 1990, developing and delivering train- ing courses with particular emphasis on the leadership, management and governance of dental practices. Mike has also been involved with the de- velopment of the Denplan Excel Oral Health Score and the Denplan Excel Patient Survey. He is now also an Honorary Lecturer in Primary Dental Care at Birmingham Dental School where he has recently completed an MPhil in ‘Measuring Success in Den- tal Practice’ page 11DTß Fig 1 ‘Applying manage- ment principles can undoubtedly en- hance your chances or sustained clini- cal success’ March 5-11, 2012United Kingdom Edition12 Feature