Digital and Wireless Communication
In
essence, the Internet is fundamentally and unequivocally changing the way
business is conducted. "Connectivity" is the buzzword of the
day, and being connected no longer simply recalls the sentimental commercials
touting long-distance, land-based telephone service that allows us to,
"reach out and touch someone." Now digital and wireless technologies
provide new ways for people to connect with one another. For instance, we
can read and send e-mail from any place in the world; we can buy or sell stocks
at any time of the day or night, 7 days a week; we can use global-positioning
systems in our cars to find our way around unfamiliar locales.
It is not uncommon for patients to give cellular or digital phone numbers, pager numbers, or e-mail addresses as their preferred methods of contact. This is indicative that many dental patients have adopted and accepted this new means of information exchange, yet many dental practitioners have continued to resist these new forms of communication.
These practitioners can no longer ignore
technological changes. Consider these statistics: In 1990, only 5 million
US citizens subscribed to cellular or digital telephone services. Today,
approximately 90 million use cell or digital telephones, and this figure is
expected to approach 140 million within the next two years. With few
exceptions, telephones currently being manufactured have microbrowser
capabilities (the ability to access the Internet via telephone).1 
On the other hand, skeptics of technology
proclaim that connectivity does not necessarily bring people together, and
dissenters from within the dental profession argue that connectivity is removing
the human touch from patient care. On the contrary, e-mail contact is less
invasive than the telephone; although e-mail is not necessarily more intimate,
it is a more considerate means of contacting patients. This is because
e-mail does not interrupt either party and users control the length of
communications as well as the time they choose to access, and respond to
messages.
Connectivity means transmitting
information to patients' desktop computers rather than being consigned to a
string of voice mail messages, an overflowing paper message inbox, or a pile of
faxes. Connectivity also means communicating with patients in a manner
that is so convenient that e-mail is likely to be answered much faster than
other forms of communication. By enhancing the digital information flow,
dental professionals can increase the likelihood of quicker and more efficient
communications and interactions with dental patients.
Ultimately, the use of digital information technologies will serve as the cornerstone of a successful dental practice. The flourishing practice of the future will use digital tools to revamp the practice of dentistry. At least two of the currently available digital tools are increasingly becoming essential: a customer-oriented web site and a comprehensive, yet research-friendly database (i.e., the practice management system).
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| Citation Number: Vol. 2, No. 3, Page 052 |
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