Trialling a novel socially-distanced teaching approach for OMFS dental core trainees: case-based discussions through WhatsApp©.

In our tertiary level centre, the oral and maxillofacial (OMFS) rotas often change at short- notice due to service requirements and the development of guidance relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, we have developed a novel teaching method for our dental core trainees (DCTs) to accommodate hectic schedules and conflicting availability between junior and senior staff. Here, we describe the innovative teaching approach we have established using case-based discussions via WhatsApp©. Feedback has been excellent. Respondents have stated that the most useful aspect is flexibility to participate in between tasks and across multiple sites, and 87% stated that they use the searchable summaries when managing patients. This teaching method is highly beneficial for OMFS DCTs. It allows flexibility for fluctuating schedules, is interactive, and provides an easily accessible resource whilst on call. We believe that other teams may benefit from the method if scheduling the time for regular didactic teaching is difficult, or they wish to supplement existing practices.

Patient perceptions of costs in the NHS: an evaluation.

The cost of the NHS, wastage within it and how much trusts have overspent is a national obsession. Despite these widespread opinions, the costs of individual treatments and impacts of non-attendance appear to be little understood. There is a paucity of literature with regards to patients' awareness of costs associated with services provided by the NHS. The authors aim to ascertain whether patients are aware of the costs associated with care services provided, and if these data could aid educating patients on NHS costs to reduce missed appointments. A questionnaire was randomly distributed to new and review patients in our Oral and Maxillofacial outpatient and emergency departments from November-December 2017 asking them to estimate the cost of common services they may encounter, such as an outpatient appointment, an orthopantomogram (OPT), a CT head, and a full blood count test (FBC). The results demonstrate that 81% of patients surveyed underestimated the cost of their new patient appointment, with 34% underestimating the cost of their review appointment. The cost of an overnight stay in hospital was underestimated by 65% of patients, with 89% of patients underestimating the cost of an hours's operating. The costs of a full blood count, an OPT and a CT head have been mostly overestimated by 89%, 77%, and 54% of patients respectively. The results show there is a wide variation in patients' estimates of costs, with over 50% of patients overestimating the costs of investigations but underestimating the cost of their appointment/A&E attendance.