Medical Health History in Dental Practice (6th Edition) is organized by MetLife.
Description:
The availability of a current medical history is essential before undertaking dental treatment and helps insure the safe and effective management of the patient. The increasing complexity of health care itself, patients living longer with chronic diseases, and the expanding numbers of available medications, contribute to the importance of having an up-to-date medical history and the challenge of obtaining one. The sixth edition of this Guide takes a comprehensive approach to the topic and provides guidance in obtaining appropriate medical consultation. It also discusses prescription drugs and natural products that relate to oral health and/or complicate patient management. Language barriers confronted during the obtainment of information are addressed with the introduction of a multi-language health history questionnaire. Appended to the Guide are forms that the practitioner can duplicate for use in their office. Regardless of who in the dental practice is responsible for obtaining the initial history or making sure health information is current, this Guide should facilitate completing this important aspect of patient care.
Educational Objectives :
Following this unit of instruction, the practitioner should be able to:
• Understand the importance of a thorough health history as a foundation for safe dental care.
• Gain a perspective on the diversity of languages spoken in the United States.
• Be familiar with the aspects of health and disease that impact dental therapy.
• Be familiar with the medical/legal reasons to gather accurate and timely health history information.
• Be familiar with critical questions that should be repeated in an interview format to ensure the patient fully understands what they are answering.
• Understand the need for a medical consultation relative to certain aspects of the patient’s health problems.
• Be familiar with Internet resources relative to health history problems.
