How do we ensure that the workforce is digitally ready and digitally literate?

Digital Dentistry

The healthcare industry is on the verge of a technological revolution. In this astounding era of digital innovation, there are tremendous opportunities to improve experience and outcomes for patients while enhancing the working life of clinicians. Lessons from other industries suggest that the tech will not be the limiting factor, it will be buy in from health professionals and the technical capabilities of those using the technology.

Health Education England and Building a Digital Ready Workforce are two organisations working in tandem to get behind the digital wave and empower the dental workforce to utilise the innovations that are available. They are organising a programme to encourage innovative dental care professionals to become part of a national network of digitally enabled colleagues in the profession, and to support them to introduce or propose quality improvement by digital means in their care setting. There will also be opportunities to share solutions and celebrate creativity at a conference in Summer 2018.

The programme will:

• Identify medtech enthusiasts in the workforce

• Provide education around the digital opportunities in healthcare and the importance of digital resilience

• Support delegates to develop a digital solution to a problem they face in practice

• Offer the opportunity to share the outcomes via a poster or oral presentation at a digital dentistry summer conference

This is more evidence that dentistry is waking up to the digital age. The future that lies ahead is exciting and may promise a workplace that is unrecognisable to that of today in just a few decades time.