Importance of the dentist in the multiprofessional team in the hospital environment

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the opinion of the multiprofessional patient care team of Mestre Vitalino Hospital, Caruaru, PE, Brazil, regarding the importance of the dentist in the hospital environment. Material and Methods: this was an exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. A self-administered questionnaire with 11 closed questions was applied to the participants between June and August 2017 and the collected data were tabulated and analyzed statistically in Microsoft Excel® software. Results: the majority (99.3%) of the 129 professionals enrolled in the study considered it important the inclusion of the dentist in the hospital multiprofessional team, and the same percentage of participants affirmed that dental procedures contribute to the improve the general clinical conditions of the patients. When asked about the need for having a dentist as part of the multiprofessional patient care team in hospitals, 97% of the respondents answered that it is important to have the dentist in different sectors of the hospital, not only in the Intensive Care Unit. Conclusion: most of the professionals had a favorable position regarding the participation of the dentist and the dental care in the hospital environment, affirming the importance of including this professional in the hospital multiprofessional patient care team.

Keywords

• odontologia
• hospitais
• equipe de atendimento ao paciente