Providing humanistic care: dentists' experiences in deprived areas

Area of Science:

• Oral health
• Sociology
• Healthcare disparities

Background:

• Communication barriers significantly hinder oral healthcare for impoverished populations.
• Effective strategies are needed to address the unique needs of patients in poverty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific approaches and skills dentists use for effective oral healthcare of people living in poverty.
• To understand how dentists address the needs of disadvantaged patients.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research design.
• In-depth interviews with eight dentists in disadvantaged Montreal communities.
• Interview debriefing, transcript coding, and data interpretation.

Main Results:

• Dentists developed a five-faceted socio-humanistic approach.
• Key components include understanding social context, empathy, avoiding moralism, reducing social distance, and direct patient contact.
• Participants found this approach successful in practice.

Conclusions:

• A socio-humanistic approach can improve oral healthcare delivery to impoverished populations.
• Further evaluation is needed to assess the impact on service access and patient experience.
• This approach offers insights into patient-centered care in underserved communities.