460 - Re-audit of patient satisfaction about quality of care received on the Dental Exam & Emergency clinic

JPW Reid AL Bradley 
Presented by: Joseph Reid
Cardiff Dental Hospital

Introduction: The Exam and Emergency clinic sees a number of patients on a daily basis. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, these patients are first telephone triaged before being provided with an appointment. A previous audit conducted showed 92% of patients to be satisfied with the service. This audit was repeated over a 4-week period between November and December 2020 to assess patient satisfaction with the service and to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted patients’ perception of emergency treatment. Methods: Data was collected using patient satisfaction questionnaires and analysed to assess patients’ responses to the questions regarding the service provided. Answers provided to the free text questions were also reviewed, as well as any additional comments made. Results: A total of 455 patients were seen over the period, with 62 questionnaires returned. This gave a response rate of 13.6%. Although this was poor, the majority of patients were satisfied with the service provided, with 90% of patients satisfied, meeting the standard set. Positive comments received centered on the staff providing care and highlighted their kindness. Negative comments received mostly focused on difficulty in accessing the service. Conclusion: Of the 455 patients seen over the period, the majority were happy with the service provided. However, due to the very low response rate, analysis of the results must be interpreted with caution. The standard of 90% satisfaction with the service was met and no significant differences in overall results were noted when compared to previous audits. No significant problems were directly highlighted, and there wasn’t any real indication that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted patients’ perception of the care provided. Comments made, however, did indicate some frustration felt by patients when accessing the service, which is an area that could be investigated further in order to try and improve the delivery of the service. 
Consent Statement: There are no details on individual patients reported within the abstract.

Poster