A contactless workflow to reduce cross-infection

The past year has taught us the importance of PPE and ensuring touch points are minimised and cleaned even more regularly to guarantee your patient and staff safety. But as the end of lockdown gradually approaches we think it is important to take with you the care and caution that COVID-19 bought with it in terms of a contactless patient journey - continuing now and in the future to minimise cross-infection. 

At Dentally we understand that patient satisfaction and safety is at the forefront of your practice but that care and support are still needed during the current Pandemic and will continue to be as lockdown eases. That’s why we have created a focus around the contactless patient journey - restoring patient confidence and making attendance effortless whilst keeping both your team and your patients safe by minimising cross-infection.  

Patient Portal 

Making sure patients are prepared before their appointment is a fundamental part of our Contactless Patient Journey with Dentally. Having COVID-19 pre-screening and essential forms completed before their visit via our Patient Portal ensures an effortless way to maintain minimised time spent in the practice by patients. This means that cross-infection is dramatically reduced as touch points and patient cross overs are limited.  

Dentally’s cloud-enabled software can also help lessen the time patients spend in the waiting room. Practice staff can simply send the patient an SMS or email before their appointment time at the practice. The patient can then easily click the link and self-check-in upon arrival to the practice - informing practice staff that they have arrived. This once more decreases the amount of time spent with your staff and prevents the risk of cross-infection through close contact interactions. 

iPad App

Upon entering it is important your practice has all of the essential PPE and hand sanitisation stations in place. These factors paired with new operating procedures will provide both your team and your patients with the safest of environments. We also recommend using Dentally’s iPad app to fill out any additional forms that may need to be completed upon a patient’s arrival - in case they have forgotten to do so on the Patient Portal. This saves time for your staff as all they have to do is wipe the iPad down after each use completely erasing the pass over of paper and pens between staff and patient. After the treatment is complete it is just as important your patients feel as safe departing the practice as they did when arriving. 

There is no need to worry about the risks associated with losing internet connection as the iPad app allows for your team to simply reload the form and continue completing it. Managing the process is easy for both your staff and your patients - helping to minimise contact and reduce the risk of cross-infection. 

Payment links

A contactless payment solution is the best way to ensure patients can safely pay whilst your practice team can clean and prepare for their next patient. This prevents staff from having to make physical contact with the patient to take payment, minimising the risk of cross-infection. Instead, our cloud-enabled software automatically sends out a payment link to your patient once their treatment is complete - this is done securely through an SMS or email that is sent directly to the patient. 

These payment links can be sent as soon as the patient leaves the practice or in bulk at certain times during the day. How you send payment links out is up to the discretion of you and your staff. But you can be confident that your patients and staff will feel as safe as possible throughout their journey. 

Patient Communication 

Dental practices that have benefited from cloud-enabled software such as Dentally have streamlined the way practitioners like you manage not only their practices but also how they communicate with patients. 

At Dentally we know that communicating with your patients is important to the successful running of your practice. That’s why we aid you in this through our automated marketing messages. These include, recalls, reminders and emails all communicated directly with targeted groups of patients. So, you can rest assured that your patients will always be kept up to date - minimising their need to come into the practice for updates and to make bookings thus reducing the chance of cross-infection. 

Throughout COVID-19 cloud-enabled software allowed people to stay connected whether they were working remotely or on-site - maintaining social distancing and keeping everybody safe. Now - the focus will shift towards using cloud technology to maintain connections, minimise unnecessary trips to the practice and consequently reduce the risk of cross-infection in day to day life. Let Dentally take care of your communications meaning you can work confidently knowing your practice is delivering the best updates to your patients. 

Dentally’s cloud-enabled practice management software allows for you as a dental practitioner to be confident that your practice is performing at the highest of standards across every area of business. Keeping your patients and staff’s safety at the top of your priorities and minimising the risk of cross-infection at every opportunity. To find out how Dentally can help you keep your practice a safe, patient care focussed environment contact a member of our team now at hello@dentally.co or if you are already using our software speak with our responsive Support team using our in-app chat.