RESUMO
In patient-centred medical practice, consideration of the patients' expectations is vital to the planning and delivery of service. Modern medicine must use the continuing advances in information technology to disseminate knowledge and raise awareness among patients and the public. People increasingly use the Internet to search for information on health, and the online presence of an organisation or a profession is known to bring a wide range of benefits. We aimed to find out what patients expect from the website of an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) unit and to assess the online presence of OMFS units in the United Kingdom. Results from 100 self-administered questionnaires showed that there were 18 common domains that patients would like to see on OMFS websites. When ranked according to the number of times they were mentioned, a map of the department was mentioned most and the complaints policy least. Of the 156 OMFS units in the UK, only 51% have websites and of these, 80% are in London. There were none in Wales and Northern Ireland. Only half of the websites contained information that related to patients' expectations. Strategies to improve the content of websites for OMFS units and to improve their online presence are urgently needed.
Assuntos
Atitude , Unidade Hospitalar de Odontologia , Internet , Cirurgia Bucal , Acesso à Informação , Adulto , Agendamento de Consultas , Informação de Saúde ao Consumidor , Unidade Hospitalar de Odontologia/classificação , Unidade Hospitalar de Odontologia/organização & administração , Equipe Hospitalar de Odontologia , Arquitetura de Instituições de Saúde , Feminino , Humanos , Disseminação de Informação , Masculino , Sistemas On-Line , Procedimentos Cirúrgicos Bucais/classificação , Satisfação Pessoal , Reino UnidoRESUMO
The purpose of this study was to identify differences between referral patterns and the clinical conditions of patients referred to consultant-led Restorative Dentistry clinics in a district general hospital and a London dental teaching hospital. The Index of Restorative Dental Treatment Need was used to classify patients into those patients whose treatment was appropriate for any dental graduate in general practice, for an experienced dentist in general practice, and for a dentist with specialist training. Demographic and clinical details were recorded for one hundred patients at each hospital. The results of the study showed that the proposed treatment of 21% of the patients seen at the district general hospital and 16% of the patients seen at the teaching hospital was appropriate for specialist care. The results support the expansion of specialist restorative dentistry services in district general hospitals.
Assuntos
Restauração Dentária Permanente/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais de Distrito/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais Gerais/estatística & dados numéricos , Hospitais de Ensino/estatística & dados numéricos , Determinação de Necessidades de Cuidados de Saúde/classificação , Encaminhamento e Consulta/estatística & dados numéricos , Adulto , Estudos Transversais , Unidade Hospitalar de Odontologia/classificação , Unidade Hospitalar de Odontologia/estatística & dados numéricos , Inglaterra , Feminino , Humanos , Londres , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Prospectivos , Serviços de Saúde Rural/classificação , Serviços de Saúde Rural/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
Societal trends and medical advances have resulted in increased numbers of physically and/or psychologically challenged individuals living within our communities. For some of these individuals, hospital dentistry with general anesthesia provides the only means by which general dental services may be provided. This paper presents considerations of significance to the general dentist wishing to incorporate outpatient hospital dentistry into his or her private practice.
