Effective Communication to the Patient of the Meaning of the Proposed Treatment Plan

Abstract

1. Prepare thoroughly for the consultation by making a complete diagnosis and providing a carefully written-out treatment plan. 2. Preselect adequate visual aids to enable the patient to more clearly understand what the proposed treatment is and the reason for it. 3. Apply a five-step outline (or something similar to it) encompassing: ( a ) the normal; ( b ) what will happen if conditions are not treated; ( c ) conditions present in the patient’s mouth; ( d ) methods by which conditions can be treated; ( e ) what the proposed treatment will do for the patient. 4. Avoid the common pitfalls such as the use of technical language, neglecting to give the patient an opportunity to express his point of view, and talking too much and illustrating too little. 5. Summarize and re-illustrate the proposed phases of treatment, stipulating in a straightforward and unapologetic manner a fee for the service and providing each individual patient with a tailor-made method of payment. 6. Above all, be motivated by absolutely honest professional advice, guided by the spirit of the Code of Ethics of the American Dental Association, and fear not to practice your profession as you know it should be done.