Tile of the Practice: Digitalization of the Institution
Objectives:
Context:
The Practice
Dayananda Sagar College of Dental Sciences is progressively making efforts to reduce its carbon foot print by making many changes within the college day to day activities. To maintain patient records in a paper less form, the college has introduced a patient management software, Dental Management System DMS - a comprehensive tool to record the complete patient history, diagnosis, treatment notes, treatment done, payments as well as patient recall dates which was developed based on the inputs of all the staff. The college radiology section is now completely digitalized. All the x-rays taken are available on a server which is connected to all departments through a network LAN connection. Using software these radiographs can be viewed in any department easily and can be also stored for future research.
The college central library uses the Libsoft, a library inventory management software which is provided to staff and students of the college. They can access and download material from this software using the college IP address. The e-software contains 4214 books, 330 e-journals from 10 Journal titles, 550 e-books and 1260 bound volumes of journals for easy access to staff and students. E-copies of Student dissertations as well as previous year question papers are available too. The library also has direct access to numerous e- journals and also through Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences operated Helinet software.
The Department of Orthodontics uses the Nemoceph software which is the most complete and the best orthodontic tool for diagnosis, treatment planning and case presentation. The cephalometric tracing and growth prediction areas are automatically drawn from the software once the required documents of the patient are added on to it.
Evidence of success:
Case history record, diagnosis and X rays done in the department of Oral medicine and radiology are easily accessible to all the departments. Nemoceph software has made diagnosis easy and more efficient. The students and faculty are able to easily access numerous books and e journals through the Libsoft software.
Problems encountered and resources required
The usage of DMS software becomes difficult during network impairment.
Whenever there is an increased flow of patients, there are delays in completing the patient entries with the given number of tabs and computers.
BEST PRACTICE 2
Title of the practice:
Extending oral healthcare to deprived and vulnerable populations through outreach activities
Objectives:
Context:
The practice:
In its mission on ‘reaching the unreachable’ DSCDS regularly conducts dental camps and other outreach activities within the state as well as in the neighboring states to address the oral healthcare needs of the disadvantaged populations. Emphasis is laid on primary prevention by providing health education through audio visual aids, thus imparting oral healthcare awareness to the population. In addition to screening, procedures like scaling, restorations, extractions and complex clinical procedures like root canal treatment, dis-impactions and dentures are also provided which are otherwise limitedly available and unaffordable to these populations. Special camps are conducted at old age homes, orphanages and school for differently abled to provide oral healthcare at their doorstep.
The state-of-the-art Mobile Dental Unit (MDU) of DSCDS is equipped to function both with electricity and generator and has two dental chairs, portable X ray unit, RVG (digital sensors) and other required equipment to treat complex procedures. It also has provision to carry multiple portable chairs which enable us to treat more patients within the available time period at the camp site.
Evidence of success:
Since its inception, DSCDS has immensely contributed to its social responsibility by conducting numerous camps and outreach activities. The institution has screened and treated over twelve thousand patients despite outreach programs not being conducted due to Covid -19 pandemic in most part of 2020 and 2021.This has a significant impact on greatly reducing the burden of the oral diseases in the community and augment the infrastructure of public healthcare system. Such outreach activities have given a great opportunity for our interns and postgraduates to enhance and hone their clinical skills and mould themselves into responsible and service-oriented citizens.
Our extension of Oral healthcare in such remote areas inculcates need-based skills among our UG/PG students to add value to their profession of dentistry.
Problems encountered and resources required:
Dental camps and outreach activities are in the rural areas which require long travelling time. This sometimes leads to shorter working hours at the camp site. This challenge can be overcome with additional manpower and conducting overnight camps.