Fiona Ellwood Executive Director, Society of British Dental Nurses – Human Factors/Ergonomics PG MSc Crt Human Factors/Ergonomics
We are fortunate to work closely with the Human Factors in Dentistry Group and have Fiona represent the Society. Project sphere meets quarterly and over time, we have contributed to several discussions and informed the development of documents such as the Patient Safety Huddle Sheets. The Society are hugely supportive of this workstream, but with a Human Factors lens. This means that everything is considered as a systematic issue not an individuals issue and that ‘blame has no role in dentistry’.
The central focus was on dental records and record keeping, and there was a strong discussion around creating some standard operating procedures, assumptions against what a basic treatment involved and the opportunity to add a variation. The debate featured the concern of the lengthy record writing and queried how we have come to be where we are.
In addition, peer review and appraisals were discussed, and the likelihood of these differing by 2026, although not without controversy over their subjective nature and the biases that can influence these mechanisms. Discussion continued around the Oliver McGowan training and where this best fits.
The Society is a strong advocate for patient and team safety and believes strongly that they cannot be looked at in isolation. We look at patient safety through a Human Factors systematic lens and will remain aligned to Human Factors in Dentistry. www.HFID.uk
