Kiroku is insanely good value

The importance of meticulous note taking

It’s really important that my notes are meticulous, and they capture the clinical and the emotional aspects of what we do. Legally, we are required to have well written notes that capture every appointment. Good quality notes mean that I can do my treatment planning from home on my sofa with a cup of tea, rather than at the clinic.

It relieves that pressure and allows me to think about the case in my own headspace. That means I don’t miss anything, I can look at different options, and I can discuss interdisciplinary cases with colleagues. So, from a clinical treatment planning side of things, it’s less stressful, and patients receive better treatment planning and therefore better outcomes.

For the type of dentistry I provide, we’re not just capturing the clinical information. We’re also capturing the emotion and slight nuances of what the patient is looking for and what has driven them to seek treatment. Again, when we communicate and plan treatment, we’re really tailoring it rather than using a ‘cookie-cutter’ approach. This means that, from start to finish, our note-taking, treatment planning, and solutions must be very personal.

Kiroku as a solution

One of the things that’s most time consuming and draining about being a dentist is writing notes and making sure that notes capture everything we’ve said. That’s because we need accurate notes for our own treatment planning and, from a legal standpoint. We all know the old saying “if we didn’t write it down it didn’t happen”. This increases stress and anxiety and can take up headspace which is far better spent thinking about our patients, or spending time with our families. I felt that my records were taking too much physical and mental time and I wanted to make a change.

Then I came across Kiroku and, at first, I was a little dubious about how much it would be able to improve things. Now my notes are written before I’ve even finished the appointment. That’s because, as I’m doing the assessment, my dental nurse clicks and populates my notes for me. From here, I’ll check the notes and make tiny tweaks to personalise them, based on the particulars of the conversations.

Ultimately, when my dental nurse and I are working as a team using Kiroku, most of the time it takes me less than 5 minutes to write my notes – generally I’d say 60 seconds for the majority of my patients. This means I’m not working through my lunch or after-hours writing notes – everything is written there and then, just as it’s supposed to be!

The benefits of treatment plan letters

I also use Kiroku Docs to write treatment plan letters which describe the details for my patients, so they can take the information away once we’ve gone through it together. It allows them the freedom to review their plan in their own time, talk about it with family and friends, and have something to refer back to. I find that, it can take a little bit longer to make sure that these letters are written well.

Previously, it could take me anywhere between 1-5 hours to write a treatment plan letter depending on case complexity. I was happy to do this, to ensure that patients fully understand what they’re signing up to, and increase treatment acceptance, but it did end up eating into my personal time. Whilst treatment plan letters are an important part of my process, it taking that long was not a good use of my time.

So, since Kiroku brought out Docs, I have been able to use my assessment notes to start populating a letter. The bones of the letter are already written, then I go in and make it personal, adding in the emotion and particulars. For me, it’s perfect! Instead of it taking hours to write a letter, it’s taking 5-10 minutes. So, for me, it has radically changed how long it takes to complete that workflow.

It is insanely good value

A colleague recommended Kiroku to me and it was one of the best things I have ever been introduced to as a dentist! It has had a massive impact on my day-to-day life. As I continue to learn and update my templates, Kiroku goes on the journey with me – taking the mental burden off me. I would recommend Kiroku for everyone. It is insanely good value considering how much time it gives you back – it’s magical.