5 Things to keep in mind before treating your first patient.

 Do you remember treating your first patient?

Usually clinics begin in the 3rd year of BDS. Treating your first patient is without a doubt one of the biggest fear you go through during your early days of clinical year.

I remember it was the peak of COVID 19, when I was allotted a patient for treatment, and that being my first patient in clinic.

It was a very difficult situation for me at that point of time because of the pandemic going on. I learnt a lot of things from my experience while treating my first patient.

1. CASE HISTORY. Noting down a thorough case history of the patient before the beginning of dental treatment is of utmost importance for both the patient as well as the dentist. Medical history of the patient plays a vital role in the treatment options for the patient as well as in prescribing the correct medications.

2. INSTRUMENTS. All the instruments required for performing the dental treatment have to be sterile, sharp and properly arranged on the instrument tray to avoid any kind of confusion. Do cross check if all the required materials are present at your chair before beginning the procedure.

3. CONSENT. Patient consent has to be taken before beginning the treatment. All the details like name of procedure, name of doctor, beginning time of treatment, any accompanying family member signature as well as patient signature has to be taken before beginning the procedure.

4. DON'T PANIC. Just in case, if anything goes wrong, do not panic. Take help from the senior doctors present. They'll help you. 

5. BE CONFIDENT.  Always keep calm and be confident on yourself. Develop a good rapport with the patient by communicating with him/her so that the patient too gains confidence in you and doesn't panic. Always be empathetic towards the patient, follow all the protocols and ethics.

Do let me know what was your experience when you treated your first patient.

#FirstPatient #DentalCollege #Dentistry #DentalClinics #DentalLove #dentist #dentallife