Using Standardized Patients to Teach Interprofessional Competencies to Dental Students

Abstract

The aims of this study were to develop, implement, and evaluate a novel interprofessional standardized patient exercise (ISPE) with oral-systemic and interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) components. Dental students and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students at one U.S. university participated in the simulation, which was primarily designed to test their teamwork skills. In spring 2014, DNP students worked in the dental clinics with dental students under the supervision of nursing and dental faculty members. To test the teamwork outcomes for both groups of students, a standardized patient (SP) scenario was designed to include multiple chronic medical diagnoses and an oral-systemic component. The exercise was ilmed for later review. Outcomes measures included SP and student self-evaluations and faculty evaluation of student documentation. The primary outcome of interest from a dental standpoint was faculty evaluation of IPCP competencies derived from the Core Competencies of Interprofessional Collaborative Practice and were deemed to be observable by faculty when viewing the videotaped scenario. Eight teams of students participated with an SP trained in the scenario. Each team consisted of a DNP student, a fourth-year dental student, and a second-year dental student. All eligible students in the DNP class (n=20) and eight students from each dental class (approximately 110 each) participated. The results showed that the teams scored highest on the role/responsibilities subscale, indicating students were respectful of each other's roles and expertise and effectively engaged each other to develop strategies to meet the patient's needs. Scores on the three other subscales (values/ethics, interprofessional communication, and teams/teamwork) were also high. These indings appeared to support IPCP as a method to foster knowledge and respect for other roles and responsibilities, improve appreciation of teamwork, and encourage better communication among health care providers. The ISPE scenario provided an effective way to evaluate IPCP competencies.

Interprofessional education in dentistry

“…The experiences of pre-registration student dentists, dental hygiene and therapy students and first-year dental nurses with regards to IPE in Portsmouth, found that all students had positive attitudes towards IPE and each of the three groups reported that IPE enhanced teamwork and development of professional relationships. 23 An IPE event involving dental students and student doctors of nursing practice 24 found that students were respectful of each needs. Within the UK, dental students and student dental technicians linked together in the provision of dentures for a patient, resulted in the majority of students recognizing the benefits of shared learning and valuing the roles of team members, the acquisition of teamwork skills for their future careers and ultimately improving patient care 25 .…”

“…It has been identified that working with simulated patients provided a powerful learning experience 14 . In an example of IPE involving dental students and student doctors of nursing practice, simulated patients with chronic medical diagnosis and orofacial symptoms promoted effective IPC 24 .…”

Advancement of Athletic Training Clinical Education Through Preceptor-Led Instructional Strategies

“…[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The development of an SP encounter is a thorough and rigorous process, which often takes several weeks of planning and training before implementation. [20][21][22][23][24] Through SP encounters, students are able to develop confidence, 13,[25][26][27] improve clinical reasoning, 13,17 collaborate 14 and communicate interprofessionally, 28 and positively impact learner motivation 27,29 and clinical skill acquisition. 13,27,29,30 Standardized patient encounters also provide each of these learning outcomes in an a safe environment resembling clinical practice.…”

An interprofessional cohort analysis of student interest in medical ethics education: A survey-based quantitative study

“…By teaching medical ethics to students of different health professional programs in an interdisciplinary and integrative setting, educators can inspire an atmosphere of cooperation and willingness to improve collaboration and communication, mutual respect and shared planning, and decision making in clinical practice [12]. Interprofessional collaboration is an ideal method to explore ethical dilemmas because it allows inclusion for all relevant professional perspectives and encourages collaboration and respect, while also highlighting the strengths of each individual profession's perspective towards patient care [13][14][15].…”