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Consultant Orthodontist, Clinical Lead in Orthodontics and Restorative Dentistry, Croydon University Hospital, 530 London Road, Thornton Heath CR7 7YE, UK
The principle of the video consultation is to provide safe, effective, evidence based care and advice that your patients require. This article guides dental clinicians in the use of video consultations by adapting their current communication skills and developing new ones. It covers guiding principles, selection of cases and patients, systematic preparation, communication, using technology, sharing information and importance of practice. The challenges of using video consultations and how to overcome these are discussed. Being able to use video consultations confidently and professionally is rewarding for the clinician and beneficial for the patient. Evolving communication skills to accomplish this will ultimately improve the quality of patient care and enhance personal job satisfaction.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: There is a need for dental professionals to develop and adapt their communication skills to using video consultations.
Article
Video consultations are increasing in the medical profession as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris Hopson, Chief Executive of NHS Providers recently reported that Trusts in England are carrying out 6000 online consultations a day compared to 200 before the crisis.1 Currently, in general medical practice, only two-thirds of appointments occur face to face.2
Video consultations have benefits for both patients and healthcare professionals. For patients, reducing travel, eliminating infection risk, increasing convenience and improving access to healthcare are advantageous.3,4,5 For healthcare professionals: strengthening networks between clinicians, encouraging patient self-care, cost-effectiveness and reducing the number of patients who fail to attend appointments are important.6 Clinicians and patients communicate by video in a similar way as during face-to-face consultations with high degrees of satisfaction.7,8 Crucially, video consultations have the advantage of the clinician obtaining ‘visual information and diagnostic clues coupled with the benefit of the therapeutic presence of the clinician’, which is absent in a telephone call.9
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