By

Jill S Nield-Gehrig RDH, MA, Dean Emeritus, Division of Allied Health & Public Service Education, Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, Asheville, North Carolina, Visiting Professor, South Florida Community College, Avon Park, Florida

The ability to perform and document patient assessment procedures is vital to the practice of dental hygiene—a complete and accurate assessment is the starting point to providing thorough patient care. Make sure you are prepared for patient assessment with this unique guide that takes you step-by-step through each assessment procedure including techniques for effectively communicating the assessment process and findings to patients. Excellent features include detailed, full-color illustrations and photographs to visually guide you through procedures and techniques, case studies and personal accounts that bring the content to life, and more.

Key Features

1. Students work through the book in a logical manner that promotes active learning and retention of material. The following features are in the order in which they appear in most chapters in the book

Each module begins with a concise overview of the module content.
Peak Procedure Boxes outline common procedures and assessment techniques related to the subject of the module. These are in a step-by-step format and include photographs where relevant.
Ready References – Reference pages in each module provide quick access to information and statistics. Encourage students to remove these pages in the book for a great clinical reference.
The Human Element – Personal experiences of other students, patients, and practicing hygienists help students understand why each assessment procedure is clinically relevant to dental hygiene practice.
Internet Sites for Information Gathering – A list of internet sites in each module encourages students to develop skills in online information gathering.
English to Spanish Phrase Lists – English-to-Spanish phrases pertinent to the assessment process make it easier to communicate with Spanish-speaking patients.
Practical Focus Cases A to E – Cases promote the student’s application of chapter information to patient care, much in the same way that he or she needs to do when caring for a real patient.
Quick Questions at the end of each module provide a quick review of chapter content.
Skill Checklists in each chapter allow students to evaluate their personal strengths and limitations and develop related learning goals. Checklists also provide benchmarks for faculty evaluation of skill attainment.

2. Detailed Illustrations & Photographs – Full color illustrations and photographs visually guide step-by-step through each patient assessment procedure.
3. Comprehensive Patient Cases F to K – Module 17 presents comprehensive assessment data for six new patient cases. These comprehensive patient cases challenge students to interpret and use assessment findings in decision-making and care planning.