A STUDY OF PATIENT ENGAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF DENTAL IMPLANTS

Purpose:

Patient engagement plays a vital role in identification of the best treatment option based on traits of technology and physician efficacy while factoring patient preferences. Dental implant treatment for replacement of missing tooth provides the backdrop of the present study.

Method:

Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) is employed to explore the phases of patient engagement model comprising process of interaction, decision enablers and empowerment needs. It captures the dentist’s perspective through inductive, deductive and axial coding and provides a mental model of patient engagement. The study further examines, through a survey instrument, the importance and performance attributes that influence patient engagement from the perspectives of dentists and patients.

Result:

Patient engagement model is developed through systematic mapping of eleven key phases of IQA involving group and individual interview coding. These phases are segregated into drivers and outcomes based on the levels of influence. Dentist’s characteristics and patient orientation and information exchange are considered as drivers for the patient engagement. Constructive engagement, trust and deliberation emerged as secondary outcomes. Shared responsibility, implant choice and perceived (patient) value are the key outcomes of patient engagement.

The Importance-Performance Analysis (IPA) provides inputs for both dentists and hospital administrators by identifying major thrust areas for achieving better patient engagement.

Conclusion:

Given the upsurge of research interests in patient engagement models, the study provides a methodological approach to gain insights into the processes, drivers and outcomes. Employment of quantitative and qualitative tools, Viz., IQA and IPA, in this study is an earliest attempt for the purpose of exploring the perspectives of patients and physicians. The study highlighted the factors influencing patient engagement using dental implant treatment as the context.