Dental health care workers’ experience with and attitudes towards treatment of patients in medically assisted rehabilitation (MAR) Cross-sectional study in the public dental health care services in Hordaland and Rogaland counties

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this research is to investigate the public dental health care workers’ experience with and attitudes towards treatment of MAR patients in both Hordaland and Rogaland. Methods: A census of 344 dentists and dental hygienists in both Hordaland and Rogaland received an electronic voluntary web-based questionnaire, a total of 54.3 % (163/344) had responded to the survey. Results: Out of the dental hygienists, 76.3% had said that they seldom treat MAR patients whereas 76.1 % of the dentists expressed that they treat MAR patients on a monthly basis. Most frequent type of treatments provided to the MAR patients were acute treatment and filling therapy. Dental health care workers, 45.5% reported that MAR patients were well informed about their own dental health and 43.8 % reported that MAR patents were poorly informed. When dental health care workers were asked how often they came in contact with MAR patients, 23.7 % of the dental hygienists and 76.1 % of the dentists had answered they treat MAR patients on a monthly basis. Most of the public dental health care workers (93.5%) agreed that it was demanding treating MAR patients. The same number of dentists and dental hygienists had also said that the reason was due to missing appointments. Dental care workers, 37.4% also expressed that it was difficult to treat MAR patients due to communication problems. And lastly 56.1 % admitted that it was time consuming and must be used in other categories of patients. Conclusions: MAR patients are a group of individuals making an effort to change their lives, this should be taken seriously and as a health care worker in the public health care system one should have the knowledge and ability to deal with such patients. They should be given the necessary training before being exposed to MAR patients.

Målsetning: Målet med denne undersøkelsen er å analysere det offentlige tannhelsepersonellets erfaring med og holdning til behandling av LAR- pasienter i både Hordaland og Rogaland Metode: En census av 344 tannleger og tannpleiere i Hordaland og Rogaland ble sendt et elektronisk nettbasert spørreskjema, totalt 54.3% (163/344) hadde svart på undersøkelsen som var frivillig og anonym. Resultater: Av tannpleierne hadde 76.3% sagt at de sjeldent behandler LAR- pasienter, mens 76.1% av tannlegene hadde uttrykt at de behandler LAR- pasienter månedlig. Hyppigste behandlings typene som ble utført var akutt behandling og fyllingsterapi blant LARpasienter. Nesten halvparten (45.5%) av deltakerne rapporterte at LAR- pasientene var godt informert om sin egen tannhelse men så var det 43.8% som rapporterte at LAR- pasienter var dårlig informert. Når deltakerne ble spurt hvor ofte de kom I kontakt med LAR- pasienter så hadde 23.7% av tannpleierne og 76.1% av tannlegene svart at de behandlet LAR- pasienter månedlig. En stor present andel, 93.5% av deltakerne i Den offentlige tannhelsetjenesten var enig om at det var krevende å behandle LAR- pasienter. Det samme antall tannleger og tannpleiere hadde også sagt at grunnen var manglende avtaler. Av tannlegene så var det 37.4% som hadde sakt at grunnen var kommunikasjonsproblemer. Til slutt innrømmet 56.1% at det var tidskrevende og det kunne ha blitt brukt i andre pasienter gruppe. Konklusjon: LAR- pasienter er en gruppe personer som gjør en innsats for å forandre livet sitt, dette bør tas alvorlig og som offentlig helsepersonell bør man ha kunnskap og evnen til å håndtere slike pasienter. Resultatene tyder på at det bør gis nødvendige opplæring til tannhelsepersonell før de blir eksponert for LAR- pasienter.