BackgroundThis study aimed to determine whether oral health services provision by a dental student clinical outplacement embedded within a Community Controlled Health Service positively impacted a rural Indigenous community and to explore the nature of these benefits.MethodsAggregated and de‐identified 2017, 2018 and 2019 student‐led clinic services provision data were retrospectively analysed. The change in services mix over time was measured. Rural outplacement clinic operational costs to the university were estimated. Government‐funded local public dental clinic waiting list and services provision data were used to identify any student clinic establishment effect.ResultsThe student‐led clinic services mix shifted over time from mainly acute care for toothache towards prevention of disease and tooth restoration, indicating an improvement in patient oral health and correspondingly reduced system costs. Imputed value of 2017–2019 student‐led clinic services provision totalled almost AUD$1 million. Government public clinic waiting list times decreased after full establishment of the student‐led clinic, indicating decreased pressure on the public system.ConclusionThe Community Controlled Health Service and university partnership improved community oral health care access, its timely delivery and simultaneously provided valuable human capital development from the student training experience. The student‐led clinic's targeted Indigenous community showed oral health improvement over time. © 2023 Australian Dental Association.
Introduction: Student-resourced service delivery of groups is a practice education placement model in which students deliver therapy to groups, with graded supervision. This study examined an application of this model in occupational therapy to determine its costs to the health service and impact on hospital rehabilitation throughput and patient outcomes. Methods: Retrospectively collected data were compared between periods when groups were student-resourced and staff-resourced. Patient data were analysed separately to group data. Results: Seventeen patients received staff-resourced group therapy, and 52 patients received student-resourced group therapy, with no statistically significant differences identified in the characteristics of patients between group types. There was no evidence student-resourced therapy was associated with change in patient rehabilitation outcomes or length of rehabilitation stay. Student-resourced therapy groups had an average duration of 10.8 minutes per session shorter (95% CI: 3.7, 18.0 P: 0.002) than staff-resourced groups. Under the student-resourced groups placement model, mean clinician time per group—both direct patient time and time spent on group facilitation—was not adversely affected and was reduced for occupational therapy assistants’ direct time (mean difference -7.6 minutes, 95% CI: 0.8, -16.0 P: 0.04) and for occupational therapists’ indirect time (mean difference -30.28 minutes 95% CI: -1.0, -59.6 P:0.02). Despite an implied mean cost savings per group of $49.61 under the student-resourced model, there was no evidence of any statistically significant impact on overall costs. Conclusions: Student-resourced service delivery of rehabilitation groups provide an opportunity for student practice education placements and do not appear to negatively impact occupational therapists’ time, costs or patient outcomes.
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