At first, I was sceptical about Kiroku, but I'm pleased to say I've changed my mind.
People tend to think these kinds of tools are designed with dentists in mind, but as a dental nurse, I’m the one writing the notes. Note-taking software needs to work for the people taking the notes as well as their workflow.
My concern was that Kiroku would be too rigid or automated. I thought that I’d lose the ability to write detailed notes in the way my dentist, Simon, and I were used to.
I also worried that the structured templates would make everything feel too generic, which is the opposite of how we are trained to write notes.
But once I gave it a proper try, I realised that wasn’t the case at all.
With Kiroku, I don’t have to focus on capturing all the routine information as it’s handled for me. That means I can spend more time making sure the notes are detailed, unique and personalised, without feeling rushed or missing anything important.
It helps me stay compliant while also making my workflow much smoother.
Plus, I can quickly switch between assisting Simon (Thackeray, the dentist she works with) with instruments and getting back to the notes without losing my train of thought.
The prompts also mean I can make sure we've covered everything we need to, so I can highlight something we've not discussed yet.
I've found the key is making sure you and your dentist set up your templates properly. Once that’s done, everything flows so much easier.
I didn’t realise I could upload templates myself for the Kiroku team to create, so I’ll be using that in future to make the process even more efficient.
If you're like me and set in your ways, my advice would be: just give it a chance. We get stuck in routines, and it can take time to get your head around something new, but Kiroku genuinely makes life easier.
It’s worth trying a note-writing system that isn’t just your practice software - you might be surprised by how much it helps!
Eleanor Wilkinson, Dental Nurse
