Implementation
of Technology into Dental Practice.
-Major concern today is to implement and facilitate office computerization.
Which and when of the new technology to obtain?
-Major areas of concern:
-
A. Managing the patients electronic record.
1.
Setting up office with program, computers, printers, etc. (see
supplementary lecture material)
2. Practice management
-Business office software.
-
-Maintaining patient records, insurance claims, tracking payments, marketing,
appointments, etc.
-
-
3. Recording and management of clinical data
-Software used mainly in the
operatory.
-
-Patient history, medical alerts, charting periodontal disease and caries, treatment planning, monitor treatment progress.
- 4.
2 and 3 are combined into a single program allowing data input, data
co-ordination and data retrieval using expert systems
to analyze.
-
-Use data visualization methods--tabular
output vs. graphical output.
- -Data-mining
(see
supplementary lecture material).
-
- 5. Availability
of the electronic patient record.
-
-Maintain patient
records on the Web or in office?
-Patients
should also keep their own set of health
records.
-
-Should include Medications, Immunizations, Allergies, Diseases, Images
(x-rays or scans), recent test results, dental problems.
-Use wallet cards with memory chip, keep
information at a secure web site or a key-chain USB flash drive.
B.
Imaging
technology.
This includes the intraoral digital
and wand cameras, digital x-rays and the use of pre and post-treatment
simulation (cosmetic dentistry imaging).
- C. New technological
areas.
Hand-held
devices (PDAs), tablet PC, diagnostic tools and virtual reality,
haptics-based simulators.
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