Why should I write a patient’s complaints in their own words on the case report?
Because patients do not buy from someone they think did not listen. When I pull the subjective findings, I use the patient’s exact language, word for word. If he told me he has worn an upper plate for thirty years and feels his bones shrinking and the plate slipping, that is what goes on the page. Not my clinical translation of it. The case report’s first section has almost nothing to do with me as the dentist, other than proving I was a great listener and documenter. Handing a patient back their own words is the fastest way to show you heard them. It builds trust before you ever mention a tooth or a fee. Stop rewriting what people say into chart-speak. Capture it raw, give it back, and watch how differently they respond.
If the answers you are finding here resonate with you, my team and I work with a small group of clients each year. The next step is a complimentary Discovery Consultation and Practice Review with Dr. McAnally.