This week Dr. House and Shawn are talking about PPE, social distancing and all of the considerations you’re juggling in your practice as you are adapting to dentistry post COVID-19.
Dr. House discusses how her practice and team have adapted to the new guidelines given by the ADA. She discusses how her practice specifically is protecting staff and patients through safety protocols and social distancing.
At the same time, this discussion acknowledges that while the basic guidelines are there, how you choose to practice social distancing and implement protocols is dependent on your specific patient population and up to your professional judgment. Dentists are highly trained in infection control and in assessment and are able to make personal and professional decisions for their offices that reflect their patients’ and staff’s specific needs.
With such a frequent need for adaptation, there are a lot of obligations and conflicting interests weighing on your shoulders. Dentists want to practice dentistry well, and they also want be safe as they protect staff and patients from this virus. But the need for additional PPE and possibly even changes to your physical space is a huge financial stress as money needs to be invested in a time when income was just cut drastically during quarantine. Furthermore, social distancing and new safety guidelines are a huge organizational challenge. They have changed how many offices are laid out, as well as how many patients you can see in a given day. It’s a lot to manage, but dentists are encouraged to find creative and personalized solutions that fit your practice.
Additionally, there’s the daunting challenge of guiding staff through the many changes in your office and procedures. A great way to get buy-in from your staff is through involving them in the creation of these new protocols. Also, some patients might be struggling with the changes in your office. You probably have patients on all ends of the spectrum ranging from those who are fearful to come in for a necessary procedure, to those who feel that their freedoms are threatened by the many changes in their world. Everyone has their own story and a valid point of view. There is tremendous value in taking time to listen to your patients and in giving grace to anyone who might see things differently than you do.
Lastly, Allison and Shawn discuss PPE and the difficulty in obtaining what is needed to be able to practice safely. They offer helpful tips and Allison shares how she is improvising to comply with safety recommendations.
Dentistry was hard enough before a global pandemic hit you, but you are strong and resilient. While adapting to this new normal may be stretching you like never before, we believe that you can get through this and this conversation with both uplift you and encourage you to keep going. We’re all in this together!
How To Succeed With The New Normal