Authors

• Söderlund, Riitta (University of Turku)

Keywords

dental care, dental health, dentists, health services, information services, medical centres, oral health, patients, teeth

Abstract

The data is part of a set of surveys aimed at determining waiting times for access to public primary oral health care. The surveys were collected from citizens, dental nurses, and oral health care managers. This material deals with the survey of oral health care managers, which aims to explore perceptions of the need for and use of waiting time information.

First, respondents were presented with statements about the information service maintained by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare and the information on waiting times for dental care published there. They were asked, for example, whether they had used the information service, how they felt about it, and whether it enabled them to compare waiting time data. Next, they were asked whether the waiting time information had been useful in managing their own unit, in self-monitoring, and in comparing their unit with others. In addition, it was investigated whether the information had influenced the assessment of the unit's recording practices for assessing the need for treatment and whether the waiting time information was accurate for their own unit.

After this, questions were asked about the patient information system. Among other things, respondents were asked whether they considered the patient information system useful in assessing the need for treatment and whether training, instructions, and user support for the system had been increased. In addition, questions were asked about the use of waiting time information to speed up access to care and whether the presentation of waiting time information should be diversified. Finally, respondents were asked to assess whether they believed that customers were aware that waiting time information was published on the internet and how many considered the publication of this information to be useful.

Background information include age, gender, degree, length of time in management positions, and the population base of the health center managed.