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10 Dental Tribune Asia Pacific Edition | 1+2/2017 SCIENCE & PRACTICE “We need to establish patient-centred care in all practices” An interview with Dr Kashif Hafeez, UK As a practising dental implantolo- gist in southern England, Dr Kashif Hafeez regularly speaks on clinical governance and the concept of patient-centred care at congresses and seminars worldwide. In anti- cipation of his lecture at this year’s UAE International Dental Conference & Arab Dental Exhibi- tion in Dubai in February, Dental Tribune had the opportunity to speak with Hafeez about the vari- ous aspects of this approach and why he believes patient-centred care should be implemented in every practice. Dental Tribune: While “patient- centred care” is a widely used term around the globe, there seems to be little understanding of what it actually entails. Could you explain the fundamentals of this concept in your opinion? Dr Kashif Hafeez: There is in- deed an international trend to- wards adopting a patient-centred approach and modern health care services are aiming to incorporate it in their policies. This approach refers to a system in which the patient is the focal point of prac- tice and all the services health care professionals provide. I call it the democracy of the health care system, which translates to a system by the patients for the patients. The basic principle behind pa- tient-centred care is that patients provide the maximum input to improve their state of health. It is a self-critical and self-correcting mechanism that will allow pa- tients to have their say in the sys- tem through feedback, including surveys, questionnaires and com- plaints. The system analyses the feedback data, learns from it, and makes changes to the policies and their everyday application. It is cyclical and keeps evolving. The system has to be open to critical analysis and be prepared to make the desired changes. Audits are a fundamental part of this system and these allow an organisation to evaluate itself against certain standards and set goals to improve further towards excellence. Education is a cornerstone of this approach, which allows health care professionals to learn new skills and techniques to improve patient treatment and provide them with the best care possible. In our practice, where we focus on implantology, we ensure that patients are the focal point of our services and pay special attention to their concerns. We understand that our primary aim is to address those concerns and allow patients to have the final say in our treat- ment plans. They are consulted through several appointments prior to treatment and given ample time to digest and under- stand the proposed treatment plan. With the help of mock-ups, patients are briefed about the final outcomes and assured that they are an integral part of the dental treatment. What is the value of patient-centred care, and why should patients be generally more involved in their treatment process? The value is that patients are an inherent part of their treat- ment. The journey of dental treat- ment with the patient sitting in the dental chair for hours after administration of dental anaes- thetics and with the dentist hold- ing a device in his or her hands to perform surgeries in the patient’s mouth is very daunting. Espe- cially if patients feel that they are not in control and in charge of the whole process, it makes it even more scary for them. Involving patients in each aspect of treat- ment is very reassuring and com- forting, giving them a measure of control. As dentists, we are often too occupied with clinical matters —the right proportions, angles and lines—sometimes forgetting what our patients really want. Lis- tening to them and their concerns allows us to consider their wishes and needs in each aspect of dental treatment. In our practice when the pa- tient shows interest in dental im- plants, for example, our treatment coordinator provides all the nec- essary information to help him or her choose the most suitable treatment options. The patient is then consulted by our team and taken through the whole journey virtually. This helps us to explain the proposed treatment in great detail. With patient concerns at the centre of our planning, dental treatment is performed with the patient involved in every step. This allows our patients to enjoy the overall dental experience they have with us. Are there lessons that can be drawn from the practice of patient-centred care in the UK, for example? In the UK, we are very lucky to have an open culture receptive to criticism. We use criticism as an opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. I would like to mention anaesthetist Prof. Stephen Bolsin, who laid the foundation for the openness in our health care sys- tem. With regard to the deaths of 29 babies and children at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in the late 1980s and early 1990s, he tried first to raise this issue with col- leagues, but when he was initially ignored, he took his concerns to the Department of Health. World Oral Health Day 20 March AD Dr Kashif Hafeez