Volume 7 • 2020 • Issue 7

IMPROVING PATIENT CARE Main Findings Fifty-nine percent (59%) of the letters included a complaint related to clinical care and treatment and 56% included reference to problematic interpersonal relationships or conduct. “The big take-aways from the findings are that experiences can be vastly unique and complex, and that all aspects of one’s experience—from clinical procedures to discussions and interactions—are important,” says Roerig. How can the findings be used to improve patient care? “Dentists can develop a deeper and empirically grounded understanding of what patients complain about in relation to the care they receive,” says Dr. Quiñonez. “It should be important for dentists to know that, while complaints focus on treatment, they are almost equivalent, in number and effect, to those associated with the relational aspects of care. In essence, it is not just about treatment, it is about how patients are treated throughout their care experience.” “As with its usefulness to improve patient care in dental offices generally, the study’s findings can also be valuable for dental education by providing insight about the experience and perspective of others, with the majority of complainants in our sample being patients,” says Roerig. “The number of communication and relational issues counted highlight the importance of valuing, educating and practising communication, interpersonal and professionalism competencies.” Reference 1. Roerig M, Farmer J, Ghoneim A, Gomaa N, Dempster L, Evans K, La W, Quiñonez C. Analyzing Complaints Made by the Public to the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario. 2019. Available at: http://az184419.vo.msecnd.net/rcdso/pdf/ positions-and-initiatives/RCDSO_Analyzing%20Complaints%20Report_2019.pdf N ews and E vents 22 | 2020 | Issue 7