Clinical decision making in evaluating patients: a process study.
A volunteer patient was examined by five dentists experienced in caring for geriatric patients. The patient and dentist interaction was videotaped and reviewed to evaluate a previously generated hypothesis regarding the diagnosis process. This descriptive study suggests that dentists experienced in geriatric care did assess and evaluate a wide range of patient characteristics. However, they did not follow the previously hypothesized process in arriving at an appropriate treatment plan. Instead, they relied heavily on past experiences with similar situations. The possible implications of this process for treatment planning and teaching of geriatric dentistry are discussed.
Ettinger
R L
RL
Dows Institute for Dental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA.
Beck
J D
JD
Martin
W E
WE
D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003657:Decision Making; D003663:Decision Trees; D016321:Dental Care for Aged; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D003827:Denture, Complete, Upper; D003829:Denture, Partial; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D017064:Process Assessment, Health Care