Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance
ABSTRACT: Objectives: The aim of this work was to determine dentists’ ability to accurately estimate patients’ anxiety level during dental treatment (ie, “empathic accuracy”) and to determine the strength of the association between empathic accuracy and patient-reported reassurance. Methods: A cros...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-02-01
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| Series: | International Dental Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653922001216 |
| _version_ | 1797950821370953728 |
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| author | Serge A. Steenen Moniek A.J. Zeegers Arjen J. van Wijk Saif Al-Zubaidi Minakshi Jethu-Ramkrishan Aida Loddin Jan de Lange Ad de Jongh |
| author_facet | Serge A. Steenen Moniek A.J. Zeegers Arjen J. van Wijk Saif Al-Zubaidi Minakshi Jethu-Ramkrishan Aida Loddin Jan de Lange Ad de Jongh |
| author_sort | Serge A. Steenen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT: Objectives: The aim of this work was to determine dentists’ ability to accurately estimate patients’ anxiety level during dental treatment (ie, “empathic accuracy”) and to determine the strength of the association between empathic accuracy and patient-reported reassurance. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 177 adult patients who underwent different invasive dental procedures (ie, extractions or procedures requiring injections and drilling) performed by 10 different dentists from 3 dental offices in the Netherlands. Patients reported their anxiety level during treatment and the extent to which they felt reassured by the dentist using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Simultaneously, the dentists estimated patients’ anxiety level. Empathic accuracy was calculated as an absolute difference between patient-reported anxiety (100-point VAS) and dentist estimation of anxiety (100-point VAS). Results: Agreement between dentists’ assessment of patients' anxiety and patient-reported anxiety proved good, intraclass correlation coefficient (177) = 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.71. A small to medium-sized positive correlation, r (177) = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.00-0.29, was found between dentists’ empathic accuracy and patient-reported reassurance. A negative correlation was found between empathic accuracy and patients’ anxiety scores, r (177) = −0.23; 95% CI, −0.38 to −0.09. Conclusions: Given that greater empathic accuracy was associated with higher patient-reported reassurance during treatment, training young dental professionals in empathic accuracy might help patients feel reassured. Importantly, our results also suggest that with elevated levels of patient anxiety it is increasingly challenging for dentists to recognise this emotion, and thus support the patient in anoptimal manner. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:21:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a95b06735d5f49d9b63deb686595aea7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0020-6539 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T22:21:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Dental Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-a95b06735d5f49d9b63deb686595aea72023-01-18T04:29:44ZengElsevierInternational Dental Journal0020-65392023-02-01731101107Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported ReassuranceSerge A. Steenen0Moniek A.J. Zeegers1Arjen J. van Wijk2Saif Al-Zubaidi3Minakshi Jethu-Ramkrishan4Aida Loddin5Jan de Lange6Ad de Jongh7Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Department of Oral Public Health, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Corresponding author. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Location AMC, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Room D2-240, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.Department of Psychology, Mondium GGz, Clinical Health Center, Beesd, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral Public Health, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral Public Health, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral Public Health, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral Public Health, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK; School of Psychology, Queen's University, Belfast, Northern IrelandABSTRACT: Objectives: The aim of this work was to determine dentists’ ability to accurately estimate patients’ anxiety level during dental treatment (ie, “empathic accuracy”) and to determine the strength of the association between empathic accuracy and patient-reported reassurance. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 177 adult patients who underwent different invasive dental procedures (ie, extractions or procedures requiring injections and drilling) performed by 10 different dentists from 3 dental offices in the Netherlands. Patients reported their anxiety level during treatment and the extent to which they felt reassured by the dentist using a visual analogue scale (VAS). Simultaneously, the dentists estimated patients’ anxiety level. Empathic accuracy was calculated as an absolute difference between patient-reported anxiety (100-point VAS) and dentist estimation of anxiety (100-point VAS). Results: Agreement between dentists’ assessment of patients' anxiety and patient-reported anxiety proved good, intraclass correlation coefficient (177) = 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53-0.71. A small to medium-sized positive correlation, r (177) = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.00-0.29, was found between dentists’ empathic accuracy and patient-reported reassurance. A negative correlation was found between empathic accuracy and patients’ anxiety scores, r (177) = −0.23; 95% CI, −0.38 to −0.09. Conclusions: Given that greater empathic accuracy was associated with higher patient-reported reassurance during treatment, training young dental professionals in empathic accuracy might help patients feel reassured. Importantly, our results also suggest that with elevated levels of patient anxiety it is increasingly challenging for dentists to recognise this emotion, and thus support the patient in anoptimal manner.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653922001216Dental anxietyCross-sectional studiesDental staffEmpathic accuracyReassuranceDental extractions |
| spellingShingle | Serge A. Steenen Moniek A.J. Zeegers Arjen J. van Wijk Saif Al-Zubaidi Minakshi Jethu-Ramkrishan Aida Loddin Jan de Lange Ad de Jongh Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance International Dental Journal Dental anxiety Cross-sectional studies Dental staff Empathic accuracy Reassurance Dental extractions |
| title | Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance |
| title_full | Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance |
| title_fullStr | Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance |
| title_short | Dentist Empathic Accuracy Is Associated With Patient-Reported Reassurance |
| title_sort | dentist empathic accuracy is associated with patient reported reassurance |
| topic | Dental anxiety Cross-sectional studies Dental staff Empathic accuracy Reassurance Dental extractions |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020653922001216 |
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