For dental providers, the importance of reviewing patient health history is obvious. To maintain excellent patient care, it is also important to educate all team members in the practice on this topic. Proper health history review helps prevent medical emergencies and ensures safe, effective patient care. Dental treatment often involves anesthesia, medications, and stress-inducing procedures, and if aspects of the patient’s Health History are unknown, it, could lead to medical concerns or unnecessary complications. At every visit, we should be reviewing the following information with the patient:
- Medical Conditions
- Medications
- Allergies
With this knowledge in hand, we minimize risk of complications while undergoing dental treatment and create a positive and comprehensive patient experience.
Identifying High-Risk Medical Conditions
Many common health conditions can increase the risk of emergencies during dental treatment. These include, but are not limited to:
- heart disease
- high blood pressure
- diabetes
- asthma or respiratory issues
- seizure disorders
By reviewing a patient’s Health History prior to treatment, dental teams can monitor vital signs and take precautions to prevent complications such as hypertensive episodes, hypoglycemia or breathing difficulties. It is important for all clinical team members to bring these items forward to the treating doctor to ensure predictable, safe care.
Preventing Medication-Related Complications
It is also extremely important to be aware of current medications patients are taking and whether there have been any changes to this list (dosage or type of medication). Medications can directly impact dental care and can sometimes impact changes to pre and post op recommendations. There are certain circumstances in which medications may also require our team to consult with the patient’s prescribing doctor prior to treatment. Some of these medications (and their risks) may include, but are not limited to:
- Blood thinners → Increased bleeding risk
- Diabetes medications → Risk of low blood sugar
- Blood pressure medications → Risk of dizziness or fainting
- Steroids → Risk of adrenal crisis
Avoiding Allergic Reactions
An accurate Health History can also help identify patient allergies. Knowing these is imperative in avoiding an allergic reaction in the office and a potentially serious medical emergency. Some common allergies to be aware of include, but are not limited to:
- Local anesthetics
- Antibiotics
- Latex
- Dental materials
Best Practices for Dental Teams
It is best practice to request, verify and review the patient’s Health History during each visit. This starts at the front desk and goes all the way back to the clinical team and doctor. Front desk staff should carefully review and explain all intake paperwork to ensure that forms are complete and accurate. The clinical team – assistants and hygienists – should also ensure that the form is accurate when they bring the patient back. Finally, the doctor should be reviewing the forms of each patient before treatment.
Existing patients also need to be asked if there are any changes to their medical history. Ideally this starts at check-in and is repeated. While this may seem redundant, sometimes we need to jog the patient’s memory about their medications, etc. A lot can happen in 6 months! Updates to medical history may include new medications, recent surgeries, pregnancy or a new diagnosis. Here are some good tips for you and the team when it comes to reviewing health history with your patients:
- Ask if there have been any updates to the Health History.
- Review Health History at every appointment and properly document any updates.
- Ask follow-up questions (not just yes/no answers) to get a clear understanding of any medical changes.
- Communicate updates to the doctor before treatment.
- Document all changes in your practice management system. This is extremely important for the whole team to practice.
Making sure your team understands the importance of accurate health history management will ensure that you are set up for success. You will be providing great service to your patients, keeping everyone as safe as possible and be ready to build your amazing patient experience on a firm, clinically sound foundation.
If you would like help on any of the following topics, please reach out to a member of our team HERE:
- How to ensure your team is trained on best practices for documenting health histories
- How to properly implement hand-offs within the patient experience
If you missed our last blog post about how to Evaluate and Manage In-Network Insurance Contracts, read it HERE.
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