Implementation of a Patient‐Centered Approach to Clinical Dental Education: A Five‐Year Reflection

Abstract

The intent of the redesign of the clinical component of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) curriculum from a traditional numerical procedures-based system to a patient-based comprehensive care system was to improve both patient care and student learning. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the outcomes of and students' perspectives on this patient-centered comprehensive care model introduced in 2009. Data were obtained from the school's Ofice of Dental Education for a study sample consisting of 205 fourth-year dental students in the graduating classes of 2009 through 2014 at HSDM. The results showed that students were completing more than the required number of comprehensive patient cases on average. A survey given to the Class of 2014 found that the respondents (35 of 36 students) were generally satisied with the new curriculum and the clinical experience in relation to continuation of care and perceptions of comprehensive care. The results of this study suggest that the redesigned patient-centered assessment model of the clinical component of the curriculum helped improve patient care and student learning.

Thinking ecologically about clinical education in dentistry

“…For instance, Dehghan et al found that whilst students valued the opportunity to provide more comprehensive care under the group practice system, they were concerned about not being exposed to the experiences of instructors and students outside of their group, which they recognised as an advantage of the student‐centred, discipline‐based system . Similarly, Park & Howell found that fourth‐year students favoured a case‐completion system informed by the patient‐centred approach over the traditional procedure‐based system; however, they recognised the insufficient exposure to some procedures as a limitation of the former system . Park & Howell also reported that along with improving patient outcomes and student learning experiences, the case‐completion system increased the workload of clinical instructors in terms of student mentorship and patient management .…”

“…Similarly, Park & Howell found that fourth‐year students favoured a case‐completion system informed by the patient‐centred approach over the traditional procedure‐based system; however, they recognised the insufficient exposure to some procedures as a limitation of the former system . Park & Howell also reported that along with improving patient outcomes and student learning experiences, the case‐completion system increased the workload of clinical instructors in terms of student mentorship and patient management . In the same line, limitations of current CE approaches and systems (eg overemphasising student‐led dental care) largely account for the insufficient revenues that dental school clinics continue to generate, which is an issue of major concern to administrators.…”

“…Second, since these interests are interrelated and not mutually exclusive, addressing some may help address others in a synergistic manner. For example, several benefits for stakeholders have been attributed to providing comprehensive patient‐centred care, including optimal dental care for patients and high‐quality dental education for students . Third, accomplishing the overarching goals of academic dental institutions (eg being financially sustainable, offering high‐quality education, dental care and research) is only possible if the interests and needs of all stakeholders are sufficiently considered when planning CE.…”

An Innovative Framework for Evaluating Dental Specialization Training Programs: A Local Endodontics Residency Training Program

“…It is important to assess the skills and knowledge acquired by course graduates in relation to current and future needs [10]. Although a focus on clinical training may provide more technical experience for candidates, care must be taken to fulfil other important standards, such as meeting the needs of the local community and paying attention to patient centered outcomes [11]. Collectively, these require more robust investigation to clarify their relative value and to measure the ways they are evaluated.…”

Preclinical and Clinical Education Variety for Dentistry

“…Anabilim dallarına ait kriterler yerine getirilirken, öğrenciler arasında motivasyon sağlamak kolay olmamakla birlikte, mezuniyet sonrasındaki bağımsız çalışmalarına da sınırlı şekilde katkıda bulunur. 64 Vaka tamamlama esasına dayanan klinik eğitim modeli; 2009'da Harvard School of Dental Medicine'da uygulanmış ve eğitimde öğrencilerin ihtiyaçlarını karşılamak yerine, hasta-merkezli kapsamlı tedavi kullanılmıştır. 65,66 Bu modelde Park 64 'ın vaka sınıflama sistemi esas alınır ve öğrencilerin tamamlayacakları vakalar 6 tipe ayrılır: Yeterlik ve becerilerin değerlendirilmesini içeren klinik puanlamalar ve değerlendirmeler; öğrencilerin hünerlerini değerlendirmek için kullanılabilir ve genellikle öğrencileri hastalarla iletişimleri ve klinik performanslarına göre değerlendiren klinik eğitmenlerin varlığında yapılır.…”