Shapes and Forms

Whether taking a lump of clay and a potter's wheel to create a useful or decorative object that didn't exist before or some wire and dental material and fashioning a bridge that will restore function for a patient, creating a new "form" from raw material takes training, skill and talent. Creating these objects is not that different than taking a blank piece of paper (or blank computer screen) and using words to create a form intended for repeated use.

However, while "form follows function" is a philosophical premise in the worlds of art and architecture, it is more important for the dental professional that the intended, and only the intended, function "follows" the written form. Unintended consequences of having a patient, vendor, lessee or employee use or sign a form that is poorly constructed can include costly and lengthy litigation. It is always important to review, when creating or updating a form:

-What's the purpose of the form? Has the purpose changed in any way since the form was first created? Could the purpose be served by amending an existing form and combining the two?

-Are there any rules, regulations or laws with which the form should or must comply? If so, does it?

-What happens to the form after it is completed? How is it stored? Is it necessary, under current privacy regulations, to destroy the form at any time?

-Are portions of the form outdated but other portions still used so that the forms can be "used up" without being wasted? Is the outdated or disused portion of the form redacted in any way?

-Is the form used because "that's how we've always done it" and is there a better way to fulfill the purpose once served by the form?

This type of analysis is always important when creating a document that will become a part of a patient's dental records or other records kept in the regular course of business and therefore subject to production and review in any litigation.