Table 6 Influencing factors and main themes
Factor | Themes | Subthemes | Impact on timings |
|---|---|---|---|
Patient | 1. Type of patient | 1.1 Not special needs patients | Reduce |
1.1 Age: different age groups with varying needs | Increase | ||
1.2 Mental capacity: varying levels of understanding and decision-making | Increase | ||
1.3 Patient confidence: unsure | Increase | ||
2. Patient cooperation | 2.1 Actively cooperate and follow instructions | Reduce | |
3. Anxiety | 3.1 Patients experiencing anxiety before dental procedures | Increase | |
4. Communication/language | 4.1 Poor communication between patients and dentists | Increase | |
5. Punctuality | 5.1 Patient adherence to schedule ensures procedures start on time | Reduce | |
Quality of care | 1. Quality standards | 1.1 Meeting the gold standard of care might involve additional time | Increase |
2. Time management | 2.1 Extra patient bookings | Increase | |
2.2 Failing to cancel appointments | Increase | ||
Clinic setting | 1. Space and infrastructure constraints | 1.1 Small workspace 1.2 Ageing infrastructure: old building, inadequate heating or cooling, clinic leaks | Increase |
2. Collaborative teamwork | Reduce | ||
3. Efficient pre-procedure setup | Reduce | ||
4. Instruments and materials are well-organised and easily accessible | Reduce | ||
5. Waste management | 5.1 Time spent on tasks like emptying bins and coordinating waste disposal can prolong the procedures | Increase | |
6. Inadequate staffing | 6. 1 Insufficient team members can lead to stretched resources and limited personnel available to assist during procedures | Increase | |
Equipment available | 1. Availability and accessibility | 1.1. Sufficient | Reduce |
1.2 Ready to use | Reduce | ||
1.3 Equipment located far from the work area | Increase | ||
1.4 Stock shortages | Increase | ||
1.5 Delays in the central sterile supply department processing equipment | Increase | ||
1.6 Equipment malfunction | Increase | ||
Personal skills or experience | 1. Communication | 1.1 Clear instructions | Reduce |
2. Years of practice | 2.1 Longer skill utilisation | Reduce | |
3. Knowledge and confidence in skills utilisation | 3.1 Uncertainty in information: needing additional time to search for relevant information | Increase | |
3.2 Unforeseen procedures | Increase |
