Dipa Patel, DDS: Championing Inclusive OMS Practices

Dr. Dipa Patel lives and practices in Arlington Virginia and Washington, D.C., among the most diverse areas of the country. This has given her around 15 years of experience running a busy practice, with the challenges and rewards of a diverse patient population.

Incorporating her following five guidelines can assist in minimizing frustrations and creating rewarding experiences. 

1. Leverage technology and other resources available to reduce the impact of language barriers on a care team.

Many patients, particularly those who are recent immigrants or children of immigrants, will have challenges with language barriers. In the D.C. area, having enough diverse, multilingual staff to address all needs is not always possible. Therefore, Dr. Patel  recommends utilizing interpreter services that are offered through state Medicaid phone numbers. Bringing family members who can empower the care of their loved one also makes a difference, or face timing and calling those family members or friends. There are also patient education programs such as Consult Pro that make visually appealing patient education software in 12 different languages. Dr. Patel also recommends utilizing other visual aids whenever possible, such as implant models. Technology, such as Google Translate, can also help. Having a written record of translation helps with clarity as well as with legal record.

Due to the proximity of Gallaudet University, Dr. Patel serves many Deaf patients. While she is not certified as an interpreter, she has learned a few signs and has found these go a long way toward making the patient comfortable. She also notes through her training in cultural competency, that many Deaf patients, particularly those from other cultures,  can be marginalized and discriminated against in their own families; their family members may not speak sign language. Therefore, having other support for these patients is critical, such as ADA-certified interpretation services. OMS professionals can access interpretation services through a discount on the ADA website. 

2. Resist taking things personally.

We all want to help our patients. It can be frustrating when they are not receptive. Past experiences with a specific religious families in New York has allowed Dr. Patel her to experience firsthand that preferences can vary within communities, necessitating cultural competency and avoiding taking things personally. For example, she once went to shake the hand of a patient, and he recoiled politely. Later, Dr Patel learned that patients of this religious background will sometimes not make physical contact with females outside of their immediate families. Learning this allowed her to be sensitive of this potential in other patients, and to not take things personally. 

Some other religious beliefs will lead female patients to seek out female providers. In the case of male doctors, it is helpful to have more diverse providers on staff when possible, as this assists in respecting the patients' beliefs while rendering the same high standard of care and honoring the patients' needs.

3. Train yourself and your staff on implicit biases.

Dr. Patel notes that implicit biases can exist in  staff, but there are many online resources to train in these type of biases. For example, the D.C. Dental Society requires training in implicit bias for licensure, and thus offers free online trainings.  It is also important to deal with the staff and how they relate to one another. There are times when staff are more or less diverse than others, and it is important to ensure that no staff are feeling marginalized, but rather, to create an atmosphere that is welcoming to all team members. 

4. Consider your scheduling when accommodating patients with special needs /language barriers.

Tired doctors make for less empathetic doctors. We are all prone to burnout, and working with a patient with language or other barriers can make for a tense situation at the end of an already tense day.  Consider scheduling these patients early to allow for everyone's fresh energy. 

5. Set a good example. 

LGBTQIA people can experience great vulnerability when seeking healthcare. Part of this is not knowing that the office selected is a welcoming environment for these patients. It is important to ensure that you set the tone for your practice. The staff will look to your compassion or lack thereof for the bar at which they are expected to regard their patients. While we as doctors have ample experience separating personal from professional, our staff may have less experience in this area, Dr. Patel shares. It is important that we train our staff to follow our example, as staff often do not have our level of experience working with people from diverse backgrounds

6. Take time for self-care. 

At the end of the day, we all get frustrated when we are not able to communicate freely with our patients. Working with patients from diverse backgrounds, despite all efforts, can make an already busy day more mentally demanding on the surgeon and staff.  It is important to follow the more demanding interactions with self-care. A quick walk outside, fresh air, and a short meditation or deep breathing break can all make a difference in resetting your energy after a stressful interaction. Occasionally Dr. Patel will even watch a funny Netflix show or schedule a massage or workout to hit the reset button.