The successful management of complaints--turning threats into opportunities.
This article identifies the drivers that influence a patient's decision to complain about his/her care and the multifactorial reasons for this. It explores the effects complaints have on dentists and their teams and how these reactions should not be underestimated, even when the complaint can be quite minor. The article goes on to give some generic advice about complaints handling with a brief overview of the NHS procedures in the new contract and finishes with some useful strategies to prevent complaints occurring in the first place.


CONCLUSIONS
Dealing with complaints is an important and ever increasing part of dental practice. If handled well, the patient will continue his/her relationship with the practice and lessons will be learnt. These lessons can be both clinical and non-clinical but, in many cases, complaints can be prevented by effective communication skills.
Dental Protection Ltd, Essex, UK.
Len
L
D'Cruz
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003142:Communication; D003729:Dental Care / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards; D003812:Dentist-Patient Relations; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D004644:Emotions; D005250:Fees, Dental; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D013218:State Dentistry; D035502:Trust; D006113:United Kingdom