Introduction

The patient interview process can be confronting for early dental clinical year students. This is particularly true when seeing a patient in the public health system especially with a complex medical history, in the initial weeks of being on placement. This resource aims to support early clinical year Dentistry students as they embark on their first placement at a public health facility in Brisbane, Queensland.

It acknowledges the daunting nature of clinical placements for these students, who must quickly distill theoretical knowledge into practical clinical skills while adapting to the real-world environment. The presence of patients with medical co-morbidities adds another layer of complexity to patient management protocols, even at this early stage of their clinical journey. Additionally, collaborative team practice, including effective interprofessional and intradisciplinary communication, presents its own set of challenges for these early clinical year students.

However, mastering these communication skills is crucial for ensuring continuity of care and promoting patients’ well-being. By prioritising communication in dental settings, students can ensure the delivery of safe, efficient, and patient-centered care, particularly for patients with medical co-morbidities. This emphasis on communication is especially pertinent at The University of Queensland’s year 3 clinical settings, which marks a relatively early stage in the students’ clinical experience journey.

A patient interview includes the collection of information and communicating with the patient at various time points including before, during and after appointments. This can include information collected at the initial patient interaction, including demographic data, information around reason for attendance, accurate medical history taking, personalised care plans, obtaining consent, alterations in original plan during treatment, follow up and review. The organisation of clinical placements often necessitates early-year students to handle complex medically compromised patients relatively early in their training.

The medical history of patients is considered private and sensitive information, and they may feel hesitant to disclose certain conditions that carry social stigma. As dental practitioners, it’s crucial to foster an environment where patients feel comfortable sharing accurate and thorough medical information through open and non-judgmental conversations. This disclosure significantly influences dental treatment plans, procedures, and outcomes. Dental practitioners should stress the importance of disclosing medical history while minimising any stress or discomfort for the patient, highlighting potential consequences and respecting the patient’s right to privacy.

With practice, communication skills such as maintaining a neutral tone, actively engaging with patients, and using appropriate body language can be honed to a high level. This helps establish rapport and puts patients at ease earlier in the patient-practitioner relationship.

Students do need to grasp the significance and implications of medical history in their clinical practice, particularly as they will be treating patients from an aging population with chronic conditions and multiple medications.

Currently, all clinical placements starting from year 3 are provided by external providers. This means that early clinical students may serve as the primary point of contact for dental care for patients with co-morbidities and may need to collaborate with specialist dental departments and the primary care team to ensure optimal treatment outcomes.