A Systematic Literature Review of Quality Management Initiatives in Dental Clinics

Abstract

By considering the recently proposed definitions and metrics, oral healthcare quality management (OHQM) emerges as a distinct field in the wider healthcare area. The goal of this paper is to systematically review quality management initiatives (QMIs) implementation by dental clinics. The research methodology approach is a review of 72 sources that have been analyzed using the Context–Intervention–Mechanism–Outcome Framework (CIMO). The analysis identifies five mechanisms that explain how quality management initiatives are implemented by dental clinics. The simplest QMIs implementations are related to (1) overall quality. The next ones, in terms of complexity, are related to (2) patient satisfaction, (3) service quality, (4) internal processes improvement, and (5) business outcomes. This paper is the first attempt to provide a critical review of this topic and represents an important advancement by providing a theoretical framework that explains how quality management is implemented by practitioners in this field. The results can be used by scholars for advancing their studies related to this emerging research area and by healthcare managers in order to better implement their quality management initiatives.

Impact on Dental Utilization of the Integration of Oral Health in Pediatric Primary Care Through Quality Improvement

“…Many previous studies evaluating oral health related to QI focused on process-based measures 19–25. The present study takes these evaluations a step further and demonstrates several associations with improved outcomes over a 5-year period.…”

“…Many previous studies evaluating oral health related to QI focused on process-based measures. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25] The present study takes these evaluations a step further and demonstrates several associations with improved outcomes over a 5-year period. In this retrospective claims-based study, children receiving FV at QI medical practices were significantly less likely to have caries-related treatment visits and dental GA visits, and more likely to receive preventive dental visits, than those who received FV at dental practices or non-QI medical practices.…”

“…A systematic review of oral health-related QI initiatives found a wide variety of measures used to evaluate success, including overall quality of care, patient satisfaction, service quality, internal processes, and business outcomes. 19 In North Carolina, oral health-related QI projects demonstrate process improvements including reduced time to initial dental visits, improved dental visit documentation, and an increased number of dental visits among children 3 years and younger. [20][21][22] In Michigan, QI initiatives increased FV applications in medical practices by training staff and automating electronic medical record reminders and FV orders.…”

Proposing A Framework for Accreditation of Dental Clinics in Iran

“…Studies on the effectiveness of quality management programs for dental care practices can make an important contribution to the evidence-based quality of oral services as well as improving patient outcomes. Oral health services must be equal to other health services in terms of quality management (Bader, 2009;Crisan et al, 2021). Limited research has been conducted on accreditation programs for dental clinics (Mills & Batchelor, 2011;Ramoni et al, 2012).…”

Quality Management in the Healthcare Industry – A Conceptual Analysis

“…Materla et al (2019) conclude that the simple Kano model is very hard to be used in healthcare since there are many variations regarding customer needs and preferences concerning different types of care provided by healthcare providers. The use of SERVQUAL in healthcare services for assessing their quality has been also tested, revealing the importance of promptness of response received by patients, cleanliness and hygiene, and empathy of doctors and employees, as main areas of quality perceived by patients (Crisan, Covaliu and Chis, 2021;Tripathi and Siddiqui, 2018). An interesting approach is the collaborative implementation of quality improvements, one approach which is probably linked to the low competition which exists between healthcare organizations in comparison to the one which exists between industry competitors.…”