Read following post from Worldental.org :
According to a recent study, many doctors frequently misunderstand the problems that patients face with regard to skin disorders and dental problems.
In an effort to reduce this problem, there needs to be courses in communication provided during healthcare personnel training.
The study focused on how the healthcare provider perceived the patients’ situation psychosocially as a result of dental or skin problems.
It was determined that, among other things, that dermatologists frequently underestimate how often depression and anxiety occurs among their patients.
It is believed that this may be the result of poor communication between the doctor and the patient however, it is likely that is also the result of the doctor only looking at the situation from a clinical viewpoint.
It is also understood that it isn’t easy to evaluate the mental status of a patient in the short time the doctor spends with the patient however, even in such a short time a doctor should be able to have a conversation with his patient.
The study also dealt with patients who had dental problems. The results showed that dentists often tend to underestimate the quality of their patients’ lives. In general, this can equate to the fact that a patients’ dental status doesn’t make as much of a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life as most dentists seem to believe.
The answer may be in how differently dentists or dental hygienists and patients perceive the situation.
To the patient, the dental problem, although it may be serious, is only one of multiple problems in their lives, but the dentists’ knowledge of the problem may lead them to overestimate how the patient may be affected by it.
The differences are believed to be a sign of communication problems. As a result, courses in communication need to be included with the health care provider training and be a part of their continuing education.
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