Blog 20: Exit Interview

Content:

(1) What is your essential question and answers?  What is your best answer and why?

My essential question is as follows: How can a Pediatric Dentist best ensure a positive experience for his patient? 

My first answer is,  Using Tell-Show-Do, dentists can explain procedures to soothe anxiety. 

My second is, By implementing an effective treatment program the patient has the choice to decide what treatments fit their needs.

My third is, Incorporating detail surveys at the start and end of of a visit to the Pediatric dentist would be another way to ensure a positive patient experience. 

The best answer to my essential question would be the second one. Not only do I have a statistic that helps back it up, but also asking patients at mentorship have agreed as well. This is the best answer because with only you (the patient) truly know what you need, like, and dislike. With having the patient choose what they want that would lead to having a positive patient experience. Also, keep in mind that in Pediatric Dentistry the patients are children, after my Independent Component I really I got to see that whatever a child gets what they wants they'll be pleased. When a child/patient is pleased they are sure to have a positive patient experience. 

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

I was able to arrive to this answer shortly after my Independent Component 2 as well as my fourth Interview. In my interview I asked Dr. Ross my essential question and he said, "Do whatever it takes to make the kids happy." With that kept in mind I thought to myself, the patients know themselves best so if they have a choice in what to do that'll surely be a positive patient experience. Shortly after that I went to my Independent Component and saw how demanding they are which seconded that second answer. 

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

One major problem faced was the ESA component. Finding really specific data for the answers is tremendously difficult and it's near impossible to find data so specific. Also, most of the data provided were in Dental journals that required payment to view and to sum it all up a lot of work for one sentence. Eventually I found data and it came from articles oversees. That problem was somewhat resolved, and computing the statistic eventually allowed me to get over this hump.

Another problem was finding relevant data/research for my answers. Although all the answers are legitimate, there isn't much to say or research. All the research I found had almost the same idea over and over again. That is one issue with the medical field, an idea is solid and there isn't much differentials between the many pieces. What helped was using either the USC research library, or using AAPD.org. The USC library/database was super helpful and eliminated some of the problem because since they have a dental school of course there would be dental research. AAPD.org is the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry and they have numerous guidelines and articles on Pediatric topics. Since they are an association they pretty much write all the rules too so the research is very credible. 

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

The first important source would be this book by Morris, Robert B. "Strategies in Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning." This book broke the ice and explained all of what my answer 2 is. Without that book, I wouldn't have been able to create or formulate what my answer 2 is. Another source that helped was my mentorship. Seeing firsthand how my answer was benefiting patients `automatically made it click.