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Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog
Cosmetic Dentistry Directory
Monday, August 16, 2010
Checklist Used by Pilots Could Help Dentists Reduce Errors
For close to three decades, the airline industry has been using a process known as Crew Resource Management (CRM) to reduce the risk of accidents caused by human error. CRM involves using checklists to ensure that all proper steps are performed, enhancing safety. Complicated dental procedures, like flying an airplane, are highly technical and even small errors can have disastrous results for both dentists and pilots.
Russell Taichman, a professor of dentistry at the University of Michigan, believes that dentists could benefit greatly from a CRM-type checklist approach. Checklists, Taichman believes, can help dentists reduce errors by standardizing the routine of dental procedures and improving the communication between team members. Harold Pinsky, who is both a practicing dentist and an airline pilot, points out that the checklist empowers dental assistants and other team members to point out things the dentist may have missed and thereby prevent problems.
The CRM-style checklist is already in place in many surgical operating rooms, where studies show checklists reducing surgical complications and deaths by significant margins. While some dentists may be resistant to this strategy, if Taichman's planned clinical trial proves the usefulness of CRM, checklists may become standard in general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry practices nationwide.
To find a qualified general dentist or cosmetic dentist in your state, contact The Cosmetic Dentist Directory or click on your state in the map at the bottom of the page.
posted by
Nathan Graber
at
9:50 AM
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