More than 580 members across the Asia Pacific region attended Dental Protection’s new 'Dental Records for General Dental Practitioners' workshop launched earlier this year.

The dental records workshop provides information on the importance of keeping dental records (paper and electronic) to enable the dental team to provide the best possible patient care and dentolegal protection.

Almost all participants agreed that they would change the way they practise as a result of what they had learnt, with the majority of participants strongly agreeing that the workshop was relevant to them, and rating it an average 6.81 score on a 7-point scale.1

Dental Protection’s general manager for Asia Pacific Educational Services, Matthew O’Brien, said: “Complete, contemporaneous and well-organised records are essential for good dental practice and continuity of care. They are necessary for your defence against a claim or complaint and can be seen to reflect the quality of care provided.

“The workshop helps members reduce their risk of patient complaint by covering the legal, regulatory and contractual requirements of record keeping in general practice.”

Feedback from members who had attended was overwhelmingly positive. One stated: “Examples of well-written records were very useful. I was unaware until now that this is the standard we are expected to abide by.” Another member said: “The workshop was very good and relevant to all forms of practice.”

Members who attended the workshop also received a best practice clinical entries checklist. The checklist is a useful tool to ensure records contain sufficient enough information for a seamless handover of care if required.

The new dental records workshop is one of several in Dental Protection’s Risk Management series. Mr O’Brien said the workshops were highly valued by members, who find the case studies, clinical examples and personal experiences relevant to their day-to-day practice.

“It was great to have case studies and personal experiences from both the presenter and each other to learn from,” said one attendee.

The workshops were very popular, with most workshops oversubscribed across the region. Based on demand, the dental records workshops will continue to run for the rest of 2018 and into 2019.

To learn more about attending a workshop in your area, visit dentalprotection.org