Original Article
Year : 2020 | Volume : 5 | Issue : 2 | Page : 58 - 61
To Investigate the Frequency of Patient Identity Validation when First Registering with a Dental Practice in the British Isles (UK)
Adrian Blake1,2,3,4
From the 1 Institution of Archaeologists, Chartered Institute for Archaeologists, 2 Affiliated Member of Royal Society of Biology, 3 Royal Society of Chemistry, 4 Member of Institution of Physics, Institution of Physics, UK
Address for correspondence:
Dr. Adrian Blake, E‐mail: adrianboff@hotmail.co.uk
Abstract
Aims:
The aim of this study is to investigate the frequency of patient identity validation when they first register with a dental practice in the British Isles.
Methods:
The study reviewed responses made by 123 dental practices across mainland UK, including the Highlands and Islands, comprising Northern Ireland, Scilly Isles, Isle of Man, Channel Isles, Western Isles, Shetland Isles, Hebrides, and the Orkney Isles, to the question, “When a new patient first registers with your practice, is any proof of identity required before they are able to book an appointment and see a clinician?”
Results:
In total, 1156 UK dental practices (approx. 9.62% of total number of UK dental practices) were polled, and of the 123 practices who responded to the questionnaire, 120 reported not asking new patients for any form of formal identification, and 3 practices (2.44% of the respondents) reported requesting formal photographic ID, before enrolling new patients.
Conclusion:
With only three of the practices out of 123 respondents surveyed asking for proof of identity when new patients enroll at that practice, there does appear to be a disparity between the legal weight that dental records hold in the process of identification of human remains, relative to the level of proof of identity from which the former is taken.
Key Words: Identification, patient, UK, validation
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
How to cite this article:
Blake A. To Investigate the frequency of patient identity validation when first registering with a dental practice in the British Isles (UK). Int J Forensic Odontol 2020;5:58-61.
