Communicating with Patients with Special Health Care Needs

Kimberly M Espinoza; Lisa J Heaton

doi:10.1016/j.cden.2016.02.004

Communicating with Patients with Special Health Care Needs

Dent Clin North Am. 2016 Jul;60(3):693-705. doi: 10.1016/j.cden.2016.02.004. Epub 2016 Mar 21.

Authors

Kimberly M Espinoza¹, Lisa J Heaton²

Affiliations

¹ Dental Education in the Care of Persons with Disabilities Program, Department of Oral Medicine, University of Washington School of Dentistry, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Electronic address: kmespino@uw.edu.
² Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Dentistry, 1959 Northeast Pacific Street, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.

PMID: 27264858
DOI: 10.1016/j.cden.2016.02.004

Abstract

People with special health care needs (PSHCN) often have difficulty communicating with providers in health care settings, including dental practices. This difficulty can affect access to care as well as the quality of care received. This article provides practical tips and tools dental professionals can use to facilitate communication for a diverse population of PSHCNs. The article discusses communication needs of patients with communication disorders; augmentative and alternative communication; and communication for patients with intellectual disability, psychiatric conditions; and dental fears. Examples are given of communication breakdowns, and descriptions of how communication challenges can be resolved.

Keywords: Augmentative and alternative communication; Communication disorders; Dental fear; Intellectual disability; Psychiatric conditions.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Communication
Communication Barriers*
Dental Anxiety
Dental Care for Disabled*
Dentist-Patient Relations
Humans
Intellectual Disability
Mental Disorders