2.2 Continuous quality improvement

Abstract

Continuous quality improvement (CQI) can be envisaged as a circular process of goal-setting, followed by external and internal evaluations resulting in improvements that can serve as goals for a next cycle. The need for CQI is apparent, because of public accountability, maintaining European standards and the improvement of dental education. Many examples are known where recommendations from both external and internal evaluation are used for the improvement of dental education. Unfortunately, the implementation of the recommendations is inconsistent, rarely systematic and usually not transparent. This section agreed that it is essential to apply CQI in a structured, systematic and transparent way if we are to improve and maintain the quality of dental education. A model is proposed which includes three aspects: a) the process of CQI; b) the subjects to which CQI should be applied; and c) the management tools to govern CQI. It is stressed, that CQI is a process that can be applied in any dental school irrespective of curriculum or educational approach within the relevant context of the country or the region. The approach needs to recognize the complexity and the need to balance a quality improvement with accountability. A CQI system is also constrained in any organization by the attitudes and values of the staff. Inevitably there has to be a wide range in the application of CQI. Nevertheless, an agreed model on CQI might enhance convergence towards higher standards of dental education. The process of CQI can be supported by developments in information and communication technology (ICT): collection of data, identifying the steps in CQI, formats of reports, etc. The section was set, as one of its tasks, to advise on the development of a network based on a number of case studies on the application of CQI in dental education.

An outline of competencies and the appropriate postgraduate educational pathways in implant dentistry

“…Quality is an essential component of any educational process, therefore when implementing a new postgraduate programme in implant dentistry, a quality management system must be created besides the curriculum (30). Quality management includes quality control and quality assurance, as well as the relevant quality policy, quality planning and quality improvement system.…”

A Conceptual Framework for Quality of Care

“…Distinct healthcare industry characteristics such as intangibility, heterogeneity and simultaneity make it difficult to define and measure quality (25, 35, 36, 38). The complex nature of healthcare practices, the existence of many participants with different interests in the healthcare delivery and ethical considerations add to the difficulty (11, 47, 62). …”

Soft Skills of Dental Students’ Competence: What is Important for Patients and How do Students Fare?

“…As such, patients' feedback of the individual dentist's soft skills should not be disregarded when evaluating the dentist's clinical performance as these skills form the core competency of clinical practice. 4,[9][10][11][12] It is interesting to note that they include both verbal (Items 1 and 3; Table 3) and nonverbal communication skills (Items 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7; Table 3). Nonverbal items outnumbered verbal ones.…”

“…Today's patients are more informed, more concerned, responsible, and able to make decisions for quality of health care that they received. 10 Their satisfaction is deemed to be one of the most important factors that determines the success of health care being provided. As such, patients' feedback of the individual dentist's soft skills should not be disregarded when evaluating the dentist's clinical performance as these skills form the core competency of clinical practice.…”

“…To further enhance these efforts to assess, improve, and maintain the quality of dental education in the university, evaluations are carried out using both internal and external processes. [8][9][10] Patients who receive treatment performed by dental students at the dental school constitute a group of major stakeholders in determining the quality of care as they are the direct recipients of dental care in the clinical setting. Before this study, there had not been any attempt to engage them in efforts to improve the quality of our services.…”