Title : A service evaluation of the first joint oral surgery – Oral medicine tele-clinic in the united kingdom
Abstract:
Background: Many patients referred by general dental practitioners (GDPs) to hospitals for various intra-oral lesions often necessitate input from both the Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine teams. In the UK, there are 75 Oral Medicine specialists/consultants spread across 18 Oral Medicine departments. Typically, patients have to travel significant distances to be seen by both an Oral Surgeon and an Oral Medicine consultant, usually at different hospitals. This results in prolonged delays and extended waiting times for the initial assessments and the necessary treatments. Salisbury Hospital and Kings College Hospital have introduced a new Joint Clinic where patients attend face-to-face appointments with an Oral Surgery consultant in Salisbury Hospital, while an Oral Medicine consultant from Kings College Hospital participates virtually to provide advice and assist in treatment planning. This service operates approximately every 4 weeks, and patients have expressed great satisfaction with the Joint Oral Surgery-Oral Medicine consultations. This approach eliminates the need for patients to travel to multiple distant hospitals, streamlining the process and improving accessibility.
Aims: To assess the effectiveness of the service from the perspective of patients and determine whether they have experienced any benefits. As well this, to assess if more Joint Oral Surgery-Oral Medicine tele-clinics should be implemented across the UK/worldwide.
Method: Patients visiting the Joint Oral Surgery-Oral Medicine clinic will receive patient satisfaction questionnaires after their initial consultations. These questionnaires will be gathered over a span of 8 months, and the findings will be entered into a dedicated data collection sheet which will serve as the platform for aggregating the data and the satisfaction ratings for each question will be recorded and subsequently evaluated.
Results: A total of 86 patients participated in the patient satisfaction questionnaires. 100% of the patients expressed that they found the Joint Oral Surgery-Oral Medicine Tele-clinic to be advantageous and preferable over the alternative of two separate appointments at Salisbury and Kings College Hospital. Among the participants, 81% reported a time-saving benefit of at least 2-3 hours, compared to the scenario of separate face-to-face consultations at the two distinct hospitals. Furthermore, 91% of patients reported ease in scheduling appointments and appreciated receiving clear, concise treatment plans after their initial consultations.
The service received high praise, with 91% of patients rating it as excellent, and an impressive 96% expressing their willingness to recommend the service to others. Notably, the introduction of this service resulted in an additional 75 patients being seen within an 8-month period, a substantial increase compared to previous years when patients had to attend separate Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine consultations before receiving a treatment plan.
Discussion: The Joint Oral Surgery-Oral Medicine Tele-clinic has significantly reduced patient waiting times, eliminated the need for extensive travel between two hospitals, and optimised the utilisation of healthcare resources. This innovative model has led to a higher volume of patients being seen over an 8-month period, underscoring its efficiency and effectiveness in Oral Surgery and Oral Medicine. Overall, the tele-clinic represents a transformative approach, improving accessibility and enhancing patient outcomes.
Audience Take Away:
- The audience will learn about the successful implementation of Joint Oral Surgery-Oral Medicine Tele-clinics, presenting a novel approach to enhance patient care by reducing waiting times, eliminating travel burdens, and optimising healthcare resources
- Healthcare professionals and administrators can leverage this information to improve patient experiences, enhance resource utilisation, and potentially implement similar joint clinics in their respective healthcare facilities
- It offers a practical solution to challenges commonly faced in oral healthcare delivery
