Measuring Team‐Based Interprofessional Education Outcomes in Clinical Dentistry: Psychometric Evaluation of a New Scale at an Australian Dental School

Self Cite

Purpose/Objectives: Clinical educational challenges led to the Griffith University School of Dentistry and Oral Health (DOH) introducing interprofessional team-based treatment planning (TBTP). This paper evaluates the interprofessional contribution made to student clinical learning and experience among dentistry, oral health therapy, dental prosthetics, and dental technology students. Methods: A mixed methodology approach targeting 845 students collected data annually employing a prevalidated online instrument from 2012 to 2014 to answer the question: "What is the contribution of interprofessional student team-based processes on students' perceptions of interprofessional practice at DOH?" Results: A representative study sample with a 64.4% response rate (N = 544) reported TBTP creating a supportive environment for interprofessional clinical learning. Significant improvements in learning shared across disciplines indicated improvements in mutual respect, understanding roles, and constructive communication enhancing teamwork. There were increasing significant correlations between shared learning and positive clinical experiences from 2012 (r = .642, p < .000) to 2013 (r = .678, p < .000) and 2014 (r = .719, p < .000). A combination of TBTP predictors accounted for 53% of the variance in clinical learning and experience in 2014 compared to 40% in 2012. Conclusion:Learning with other students, developing teamwork abilities, improved communication skills, and respect for other oral health professions were aspects of TBTP that positively impacted clinical learning and practice at DOH. Further study would assist to determine specific elements that made the greatest contribution to student learning experiences.

Section: Team-based Treatment Planningmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The dependent factor "Clinical Team-Based Educational Outcomes" relates to clinical oral health learning and experience. 35 Associations between these factors are detailed in Table 3. Both crude (unadjusted) and partial (adjusted) correlations between factors are compared.…”

Section: Association Between Tbtp Processes and Clinical Learning And...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A 3‐year quantitative evaluation of interprofessional team‐based clinical education at an Australian dental school

Storrs

Henderson

Kroon

et al. 2022

Self Cite

“…Intraprofessional education occurs when students from different disciplines within the same profession are educated together to benefit both disciplines. Intraprofessional education benefits from shared learning, “learning with, from, and about other health disciplines” (p. 255) 7 . Previous studies have found that intraprofessional educational experiences improved teamwork within the dental profession, 8 facilitated a clearer understanding of each provider's roles and responsibilities within the health care team, 1 , 7 – 13 and improved patient outcomes 10 .…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Intraprofessional education benefits from shared learning, “learning with, from, and about other health disciplines” (p. 255) 7 . Previous studies have found that intraprofessional educational experiences improved teamwork within the dental profession, 8 facilitated a clearer understanding of each provider's roles and responsibilities within the health care team, 1 , 7 – 13 and improved patient outcomes 10 . Research in this area has focused on other allied dental professionals 1 , 9 , 12 or special projects with a short‐term shared learning experience between dental and dental hygiene students 8 .…”

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confidence: 99%

The Benefits and Challenges of Collaborative Learning: Educating Dental and Dental Hygiene Students Together

Jackson

Bilich

Skuza

2018

Most often, members of the dental team are educated in separate programs. These professionals then come together in practice to work as a team, often with limited knowledge about each other's roles. The aim of this study was to assess the perspectives of dental and dental hygiene students regarding collaborative learning after taking two courses together. Five years (2010–14) of survey data were collected from a convenience sample of dental and dental hygiene students. The dental hygiene students were in their first and second years (DH1 and DH2) at Eastern Washington University (EWU). The dental students were in the University of Washington (UW) Regional Initiative in Dental Education (RIDE) program, taking their first year of courses in Eastern Washington with EWU's dental hygiene and UW's medical students. Eight first‐year dental (D1) students participate in the RIDE program each year, totaling 40 across the five years. Because the same D1 students take both courses, this target population was 80. The number of DH1 and DH2 students in these courses ranges from 32–36 each year, for a target population of 323 across the five years. A total of 193 survey responses were collected, for an overall response rate of 48%; the D1 response rate was 72%, and the DH response rate was 42%. In the results, students perceived that learning collaboratively helped them think positively about other dental professionals, benefitted their problem‐solving skills, increased their understanding of clinical problems, helped them become better team members, improved trust and respect, and improved their understanding of course content. These results suggest that collaborative learning had a positive impact on both groups. In comments, students suggested they would benefit from more shared learning experiences in the clinic and agreed that collaborative learning would help them create a more cohesive team.

“…Another increasingly important aspect of dentistry involves intraprofessional education (among various members of the oral health care team) and interprofessional education (IPE; between members of the oral health care team and those of other health care professions). Studies have evaluated team‐based educational outcomes in clinical dentistry, 23 roles and identities to explore students’ perceptions of professional roles in the dental team, 24 and the effect of a curriculum involving dentistry and dental technology students 25 . Wilder et al proposed that dental education should be reformed to include curriculum content and clinical experience with other members of the health care team, thus bringing IPE into dental schools 26 .…”

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confidence: 99%

An Inter‐ and Intraprofessional Education Program in Which Dental Hygiene Students Instruct Medical and Dental Students

Otsuka

Kondo

Ohara

et al. 2016

The aim of this study was to develop, implement, and evaluate an inter-and intraprofessional education program with a peer support joint practice in which dental hygiene students teach medical and dental students about oral health care for older people requiring long-term care. In 2015 at Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 22 dental hygiene students in their third year at the School of Oral Health Care Sciences (OH3), 110 students in their third year at the School of Medicine (M3), and 52 students in their third year at the School of Dentistry (D3) participated in this program. The OH3 students practiced with a whole-bodytype simulator to learn oral health care for older people and then taught the methods to the M3 and D3 students according to their self-designed teaching plan. All M3 and D3 students experienced being both practitioner and patient. The number of respondents and response rates on the questionnaires after the training were 22 (100%), 102 (92.7%), and 52 (100%) for the OH3, M3, and D3 students, respectively. Self-assessment by the OH3 students indicated that they could supervise other students sufficiently (77-86%), and 91% of them found the preclinical practice with the simulator efficient for the peer support joint practice. Almost all the M3 and D3 students reported that they gained understanding of the methods (99%), significance (100%), and important points of oral health care for older people (97%) in addition to the jobs and roles of dental hygienists (93%) because of this program. The M3 students understood the methods and significance of oral health care more deeply than did the D3 students (p<0.05). This study found that an interprofessional program with a peer support joint practice to cultivate practical clinical ability aided in increasing understanding and cooperation between medicine and dentistry.