Medical Malpractice Insurance News

While caring for patients throughout the global healthcare crisis, physicians have put themselves at risk of contracting COVID-19 and dealt with a lack of resources and staff – all while taking care of, or in many cases, neglecting, their own mental health.

A recent study published in the Journal of Dental Research marks the first COVID-19 testing survey of asymptomatic patients in a dental setting. The paper showed the potential for dental offices to be viable and powerful locations for public health surveillance. The authors of the study identified dental offices as a good location for research for several reasons.

The oral cavity is an important site for COVID-19 infection, a recent study in Nature Medicine found. The researchers set out to better understand the “involvement of the oral cavity” in COVID-19. What they found has implications for the growing understanding of COVID-19 and the continued global effort to reduce the transmission of the virus.

The results of the survey will be presented to our policyholders as part of our ongoing educational efforts to reduce risk and promote patient safety.

As part of the ongoing risk management activities performed by MLMIC, 43 medical office practice surveys were conducted over the past two years.