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Briefly explain how e-touch was conceptualised and developed.
The concept behind e-touch is to enable patients to learn about dental treatments at their own pace, utilising a kinetic learning style.
Evidence shows that people can understand a concept far better if they can use learning skills other than the classic ‘listening’ that is utilised in a dental practice i.e. when the dentist explains a treatment to them in the chair.
The software driving the units and animations has been created by our in-house team of developers which means e-touch clients can take advantage of innovations and upgrades that result from customer feedback and technological advancements.
The content has been written and checked by a team of dentists, dental technologists, hygienists and oral surgeons within our Dental Advisory Panel (DAP), which is led by Dr Chris Potts, the current Chairman of the British Dental Health Foundation.
What are the most novel features?
The whole concept is novel but in essence the following features are the most innovative:
A range of before and after photographs, treatment explanation texts and high definition animations are available for patients to study utilising a high quality, intuitive touch screen system. The interactive nature of the system makes the learning process so enjoyable that it becomes more of a ‘game’ than a chore. All of the current educational tools on the market ‘talk at’ the patient; the e-touch unit ‘responds to’ enquiries by the patient.
e-touch presentations can be tailored to reflect the style and requirements of your practice. For example, if cosmetic dentistry was your priority, a particular navigation system would be utilised to steer patients towards those treatments which would differ to that used by a practice only wishing to educate patients about oral hygiene. The presentation can be altered at any time and will take effect within minutes.
e-touch can be adapted to show only those treatments available in your practice along with the fees that you charge. For instance if a specific orthodontic system is used e.g. Invisalign, then this option would be switched on. Updates are easily managed so fees can be changed with the click of a button and new services added with ease.
e-touch is a marketing tool that helps you to determine those treatments your clients are most interested. Units store details about which treatments were viewed, how long patients viewed the pages, and which sections have been of most interest allowing you to adapt and target your marketing communications and to achieve greater results from your marketing efforts.
Once e-touch has been installed there is no need for intervention. We are constantly developing new forms of communication in conjunction with the Dental Advisory Panel and feedback from existing customers. Unlike other manufacturers’ software there is no need to purchase ‘upgrade discs’: new animations and content are created remotely and updated automatically. There is no need to switch e-touch off at night because it turns itself off just after the practice has shut and turns itself on in the morning!
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What are the main functions of e-touch and how can they benefit the dental practice?
The main functions of e-touch are:
- high definition animations, with captions, to clearly and simply explain specific treatments
- high quality before and after photographs that smoothly morph between one another to illustrate the benefits of a treatment. e-touch provides stock photos and offers the facility for practices to upload their own photographs
- the provision of clear and concise text to explain the procedure of any given treatment. The text is split into two sections: a quick summary in a couple of paragraphs for patients who prefer an overview and a full explanation for those who want in-depth detail. We have worked closely with the Dental Laboratories Association (DLA), and a panel of their expert members to provide information, photographs and video footage to explain what happens within the laboratory. This assists patients to understand the differences in quality, and therefore pricing, of various items and services.
The main benefits to the practice:
Sell – e-touch will assist practices to sell treatments to patients. In fact, feedback from practices with a unit located in their waiting room indicates that patient behaviour changes; they proactively ask about treatments negating the need for any ‘selling’ from the dental team.
Educate – e-touch educates patients and new members of the practice team about oral hygiene, dental treatments and the options available in the practice.
Save – e-touch supports the explanation of treatments and therefore saves valuable team time which can then be used in other proactive pursuits.
Briefly explain the role of the Dental Advisory Panel in the development of the kiosk content.
The Dental Advisory Panel is headed by Dr Chris Potts, the current Chairman of the British Dental Health Foundation, and is central to the e-touch concept. Its role is to:-
Steer – Regular DAP meetings are used to steer the focus for development. The DAP not only identifies developments within particular dental treatments that need to be reflected in the existing content but it also recommends entirely new aspects of dentistry that should be covered by e-touch.
Develop – The DAP is made up of GDPs and a number of experts from specific fields of dentistry. It is responsible for writing the treatment text, creating the story boards used within the animations, and providing the high quality stock photographs used within e-touch.
Check – Nothing is uploaded onto e-touch without being approved by the DAP therefore significantly reducing the risk of inaccuracies.
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What feedback from patients and dentists using e-touch
Patients
"I found it very easy to use and it certainly helped me to understand more clearly the option my dentist was presenting to me!" Mrs TA, Blandford
"Thank you! The kiosk kept the family happily distracted while we waited AND we all learned more about looking after our teeth." Mr BW, Ringwood
"Very interesting and useful; my son loved the tongue scraping video. Yuck!" Mrs AK, Bournemouth
"At last I understand what is happening in my mouth while visiting the dentist. Very helpful" Mr JB, Goole
"It was really helpful to have an idea of the range of treatments available for my missing tooth before I spoke to the dentist" Mr AM, Norwich
"Very informative and very intuitive; I am almost looking forward to my next appointment." Mr PJ, Wimbledon
Dentists
'e-touch is a sleek, modern piece of technology that significantly enhances our patients' reception area. We have had very positive feedback from patients who have browsed the system, whether out of general interest or after being guided to specific pages by members of the dental team. The information presented is educational as well as visually interesting and with high definition animations, photographs and text, patients have loved it.' Dr Andrew Prynne, Definitive Dentistry
“Just a quick note to say how good the new e-touch unit you installed last week is. The information provided is really good, and better still we are sorting out our own images to load in the next few weeks. It is a great leap forward to be able to keep the data up-to-date rather than having to re-purchase expensive DVD's.“ Dr C A Lang, Wimborne Dental
Are there any additional applications that will be added to e-touch in the future?
The beauty of the e-touch concept is its endless flexibility and infinite opportunity. The team is currently working on a number of key developments:
e-mail – Our next service will enable patients to e-mail their desired information. The e-mail will contain text, a PDF of the before and after photographs, and a link to the relevant on-line animation. This will enable patients to study everything in the comfort of their own homes and to discuss ‘big ticket’ treatments, such as implants, with their families before committing.
CPD – When the practice is closed e-touch becomes a training facility with on-line training software that earns CPD points.
Purchasing – Negotiations are currently underway with suppliers to enable e-touch purchasers to take advantage of bulk purchasing agreements of consumables through e-touch itself.
Credit – Lines of credit are being set up to enable e-touch practices to purchase other items on a ‘pay nothing for 12-months’ basis.
What did winning the ‘product innovation of the year award’ mean for e-touch?
I wouldn’t want to get too ‘Gwyneth Paltrow’ about winning the award but it is great to be recognised by independent members of the dental profession for the innovative nature of our product and for how it will be assist the profession to educate patients. While our customers and their patients love e-touch it’s really good to know the judging panel also appreciates our exciting product.
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