This month Emily and Eleanor Pittard discuss what the laboratory industry can learn from clinics – and vice versa.
The benefit of working in both the clinical and the laboratory industry is that we get to see what works in both, and what doesn’t.
Dental clinics are ruled by compliance, monitored and assessed by the CQC. Under the ever-watchful eye of the GDC, the clinical dental team have a lot to keep on top of.
Meanwhile, the laboratory industry can choose to be assessed by the Dental Appliance Manufacturers Audit Scheme (DAMAS) to show proof of a regulated system. IT also has to register with the Medical Devices Regulations (MHRA). But other than that, the regulations aren’t as strict.
We believe it’s only a matter of time before the CQC decides to more closely inspect dental laboratories. The demand for transparency, the culture of choice and concerns over health and safety are on the rise.
So, what should we put in place now to avoid the headache later on? What can we learn from proven systems in a clinical setting and what are we already doing well?
Digital systems
Many dental laboratories have some sort of digital booking in and invoicing system. But if you don’t, it may be a good idea to start comparing what is out there as more practices move to a digital-only workflow.
Dental clinics have a booking in system that allows them to keep track of patients. It stores their information and outlines each clinician’s day very specifically with timed appointments.
The software open to laboratories offers the same kind of daily planning and scheduling as well as the ability to invoice and track cases through the lab. This is something we have put in place, along with daily meetings with the entire team, another trick from the clinical environment.
The daily meetings do take time out of the day, but they mean that we can all check in on what’s going on and it helps the flow of communication between the team. It also helps to catch problems that could become much bigger issues further down the line, which make them invaluable to us!
Risk assessments
Risk assessments, audits, policies and paperwork – something clinical professionals will know a lot about, but not something that is expected in a lab environment. But what’s the purpose of them? The intention is to continuously improve – a concept in business that we have taken from the Japanese, called ‘Kaizen’.
The purpose is to find a system, test it for a while and then to assess for improvements. The best way to do this is through auditing the current system. For example, we audit the professional photos we take and check a random sample each month against key requirements. If something is being missed, then we know more training is needed.
Risk assessments help to maintain a safe environment. They ensure that you have everything necessary in place to minimise risk to staff and the public. Similarly, policies help to set your intention for your company and make it easy for the team to understand requirements.
It is easy to put paperwork to the bottom of the pile as it is not immediately financially beneficial. In fact, it is rarely obviously financially beneficial at all. This means it sometimes falls off the to do list altogether.
However, if you dedicate a few hours a week to useful ‘admin’ then you should see business growth. Productivity and efficiency should improve, communication and morale should improve, and your understanding of your business should also improve. This will all help you respond faster to changes in demand and the environment.
Cross-skilling and up-skilling
Putting structure and systems in place takes time but is worth it in the long run. This is something we can see from the clinical setting, but in so doing we should try not to lose our industry’s strengths. One of the best elements of dental technology is the ability to cross-skill and up-skill. This industry offers greater job variety without the need to gain a qualification in order to extend your scope.
Although this is something that can be done, many technicians can work across departments or develop greater expertise and regularly push their role forward. This should bring greater job satisfaction, although it will depend on a lot of other factors, like work environment. We train our team to ensure that if one member is off on holiday or sick, other team members will, between them, be able to do their job.
For example, everyone knows how to appropriately use the computer system, take phone calls, pour models and print 3D models. Our ceramists can articulate and set up teeth for dentures and our prosthetic technicians can build teeth in composite and stain and glaze with Miyo. These are some of many ways we make use of a technician’s ability to multi-task and pick up new skills.
‘Team members are often not used to the full extent of their scope’
Having managed multiple dental teams, I know it’s something that can be missed in a clinical environment where team members are often not used to the full extent of their scope or given the option to upskill. This is perhaps because the owners or managers are so afraid of the regulatory requirements that they feel it is easier to keep everyone very clearly in their lanes.
This often leads to missed opportunities where a great treatment coordinator never emerges. Or a dentist spends all their time doing fillings or seeing denture patients when they could easily be seen by a DHDT or CDT. This would allow the dentist more time on other treatments.
Now is the time
The best solution is to put in place effective structure to help streamline areas like booking in, packing, communication and ordering. This should give your team more time to focus on developing new skills and putting them into practice.
If you haven’t held an appraisal with your team members, now is the time; if you haven’t had a team meeting, now is the time; if you haven’t yet moved to a digital workflow, now is the time.
Just because something has worked up to now, doesn’t mean it will continue to do so. Put something in place that encourages people to feed back on areas they think could be improved – with a solution.
A regular audit of model pouring, articulation, or 3D misprints may help to identify training needs and reduce costly mistakes. The purpose of continuous improvement is to make you more adaptive to change. There is a lot of change in the dental industry currently, so there is no time to waste.
Catch up with the previous Technically Speaking columns:
- Why Pride Month is for everyone
- Recruitment and utilising the existing team
- Den-Tech: a charity for dental technicians
- How to solve recruitment issues
- Let’s talk business.
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