Reference no: EM133463076
?In the dental office, regardless of what role you play on the dental team, there are going to be times where you are asked to help make phone calls or speak to a patient who has a clinical question or needs to be triaged prior to coming in for a dental emergency. It is easy to forget that we are there to serve our patients and we need to be sure we practice and deliver professional and effective phone etiquette. We are on our phones every day with our friends, family, and others so when we come to work, we have to be very cognizant of what we say and how we say it to the patients we interact with. We have to remember that every single patient interaction can be part of a complaint or future lawsuit if the patient feels that wrong was brought against them, and that includes phone calls. For this assignment, you are to narrate what you would say to the following patient who calls your office for the following scenario. You are given the triage slip that the office manager completed with the patient and are instructed to call the patient back asap.
Scenario:
The patient is in dire tooth pain and they can't even think without their tooth throbbing. They need to get into your dental office "right away" but can't come in before 10 a.m. because they must work and can't come in after 2 p.m. because they have to get their kids but "this is an emergency" and they are a loyal customer so "you should be able to get them in right away" as they feel their "head is going to explode" from the throbbing pain they feel.
Think of the following as you consider your narrative back to the patient. When you make your narrative, write it as is if you are speaking directly to the patient. After your narrative on what you would say to the patient, describe how you would say it to them - describe the tone, volume, and the speed at which you would speak to the patient. Below are some things to get you thinking, you don't have to include all of these, but they should serve as a guide for you.
1. How would you start your conversation with this patient?
2. How would you calm the patient down?
3. What if your office could not get them in between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. what would you tell them?
4. What are some specific terms that you should avoid when speaking with the patient (hurt, cost, etc. refer to readings from Unit 2)?
5. What should the volume of your voice be like?
6. What should the rate of your speech be (The quality of your voice and how you would control that)?
7. What should the pitch of your voice be? What if the patient starts to argue with you, how would you control that?
8. How can you create a good image for your dental team throughout this call and interaction with this patient?