Dental Tribune Untited Kingdom Edition

T he internet and social networking websites have made it far easier for people to communicate. In many circumstances this can be great, allowing like- minded individuals to share information with each other at high speed. However, it can also cause problems. What happens if a dental profes- sional discovers that a patient has aired their frustrations over treatment or service on- line? Rupert Hoppenbrouw- ers, Head of the DDU, dis- cusses how best to deal with criticism when it appears in this very public domain. The internet has present- ed many opportunities to the world. Nowadays people can simply type a phrase into a search engine and gain a wealth of information on most topics. If the information they need isn’t already available, they can ask a question on a forum and benefit from the knowledge of people who they have never even met. How- ever, with the free sharing of information online comes risk. If people have a negative experience in any area of their life, they can simply go on the internet and share it. And it isn’t just large com- panies who can face the wrath of the public online. Dental professionals too may find that they are the subject of on- line criticism. Websites such as NHS Choices were designed specifically to allow NHS pa- tients to express their opinion about their experience of NHS treatment and this can mean both the good and the bad. Ad- ditionally, social networking sites and other online forums provide patients with a similar opportunity, and, when faced with negative comments made in the public domain, it can be difficult for dental profession- als to know what to do. Responding to online criticism It is natural for a dental pro- fessional to feel angry, frus- trated or upset when they see comments about them or their practice online. The com- ments may present a very one- sided view of a situation and it may be tempting to respond. However, it is important to think very carefully before de- ciding to respond to negative online comments. Some practices embrace patient’s online feedback, re- sponding positively to their comments and apologising if they are not happy with the service they have received. Any response must preserve patient confidentiality, and should not appear in any pub- lic forum. If a dental profes- sional or practice does decide that a response is warranted, it should be in line with the NHS complaints procedure, which emphasises the need for practices to be open and honest. Patients should be encouraged to get in touch with the practice if they have not done so already so that the complaint can be addressed formally using the practice complaints procedure. In some circumstances, a practice may consider online posts to be completely un- true or abusive in nature and may want to have the posts removed. On independent fo- rums this may be difficult but any concerns should be raised with the moderator of the website who will be able to assess if there is anything that can be done. The NHS Choices website sets out clear guide- lines on what can and can’t be posted and requests that if a post is considered ‘offensive or unsuitable’, then a modera- tor is contacted who, after in- vestigating, may remove the posting. If a dental profession- al does complain to a website moderator, it is important that they are cautious about what they say and ensure that they do not reveal any confidential patient information, either di- rectly or through omission or inference. Simply identifying the post in question should be enough for the moderators to investigate whether or not it breaks the sites guidelines and so can be removed. To remove or not to remove The decision whether or not to attempt to have a post re- moved from a website will ultimately fall to the dental professional or dental prac- tice and will depend upon the content of the post in ques- tion. It is important to con- sider that attempting to have a post removed may inflame the situation further, poten- tially making the patient more angry and more likely to es- calate their complaint. They may then choose to post the comments on other forums or websites mentioning the fact that the dental professional or practice has attempted to ‘silence’ them. Alternatively they may complain formally to the GDC, to the Dental Com- plaints Service or to the NHS, or bring a civil claim for neg- ligence. It is understandable for a dental professional to desper- ately want negative comments to be removed, but this must be balanced against the fact that it may draw further atten- tion to the matter. With this in mind, it may be wise to con- sider an alternative way of re- sponding. DT Freedom of internet speech – what to do when a patient voices their opinion online Rupert Hoppenbrouwers discusses dealing with public criticism ‘It is natural for a dental profes- sional to feel angry, frustrated or upset when they see com- ments about them or their practice online’ About the author Rupert Happenbrouwers is head of the DDU. He is a former general den- tal practitioner and was Director of the School of Dental Hygiene at Uni- versity College Hospital, London from 1980 to 1986. He has lectured and written widely on risk management and dento-legal matter and has a par- ticular interest in clinical negligence and dental care professionals. He is currently Chairman of the UK Dental Law and Ethics Forum. People are free to post their comments online March 5-11, 201216 United Kingdom EditionFeature In-Line®, the favourably priced alternative from Germany! 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