Effects of Informal Learner Handover in Clinical Dental Education

Abstract

Purpose:Learner Handover (LH) protocols to enable guided sharing of student performance amongst faculty can be especially useful in the transition from lab-to-clinic work in undergraduate dental training due to the build-up of skills required and a small, more manageable sized student body. However, there is an ongoing debate as to its benefits, disadvantages, and outright usefulness. Moreover, the extent of existing ‘Informal Learner Handover’ (ILH) in the form of faculty discussions is not actively researched. Exploring the nature of ILH may provide additional context to stakeholders. Furthermore, it can also provide insight into the nature of Learner Handover bias so that they can be minimized when designing a Formal Learner Handover (FLH) Protocol.Methods:A grounded theory study design was selected to review and identify relevant patterns in a series of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions from January to March 2022. Voluntary participation of 16 active clinical dental faculty of a variety of designations and seniority were included in the study. No opinion was discarded.Results:Four themes were identified after the thematic analysis, with twelve subthemes. These were: 1) effect on Behavior (Direct Interaction, Disability Aid, and Mindset), 2) effect on Student Expectation (Knowledge base, Pre-formed Opinions, and Student Competence), 3) effect on teaching approach (Refresher, Progress of clinical rotations, Student capability management, and modifications), and 4) effect on feedback practices (Group problems identified, and communication).Conclusions:ILH has a minor impact on faculty interactions with their students in clinical dental training. Other factors that contribute to the student’s ‘academic reputation’ provide more of an impact in faculty perceptions and interactions with their students.