Interprofessional Education in U.S. Dental Hygiene Programs: Program Director Responses Before and After Introduction of CODA Standard 2–15

Abstract

A 2014 survey found that dental hygiene program directors perceived interprofessional education (IPE) as a priority for themselves and the dental hygiene profession in the U.S. The aim of this study was to explore whether IPE collaborations in dental hygiene programs and program directors’ attitudes changed from 2014 to 2017 since the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) Standard 2–15 on IPE was introduced in August 2016. In May 2017, directors of all 325 U.S. dental hygiene programs were invited to participate in a web‐based survey. A total of 117 directors responded, for a 38% response rate, and their responses were then compared with the responses in 2014 (that survey had a 33% response rate). The results showed that, while the percentage of responding dental hygiene programs with a nursing program on campus had decreased (90% to 80%; p<0.022), the likelihood of having other health care‐related programs on campus did not change. In 2017 as compared to 2014, the programs were still most likely to collaborate with nursing (50% vs. 46%) and other allied health professions (44% vs. 56%) and in intraprofessional education with dental assisting programs (41% vs. 41%). IPE was still most likely to occur in volunteer activities (68% vs. 73%), basic science courses (65% vs. 60%), and communications training (63% vs. 63%). In 2017, program directors rated IPE as less challenging for programs to manage than in 2014 (on five‐point scale with 1=not at all challenging: 3.31 vs. 3.62; p=0.022). However, the responding directors did not view IPE as being as important to the profession in 2017 as the respondents reported in 2014 (3.29 vs. 3.88; p<0.001). The majority in 2017 agreed/strongly agreed that Standard 2–15 will improve the profile of dental hygiene as part of the health care team (77%) and contribute to integrating dental hygiene into interprofessional care (IPC) teams (78%). Overall, this study found that the introduction of an explicit IPE dental hygiene CODA standard in 2016 had already resulted in changes after only one year. However, the responding program directors’ lower agreement with statements concerning their graduates’ IPC‐related competence deserves further attention.

Periodontal staging and grading: An international dental hygiene education survey

“…In the light of specific periodontal treatment and dental hygiene process of care accreditation standards, integrating the new staging and grading system should not significantly change DH education programs. Since DH educational institutions must adhere to the accreditation standards, the extent to which these programs incorporate the new staging and grading system is driven by accreditation standards and guidelines 17,18 . Zorek and Furgeson studies concluded that the IPE was not integrated into DH programs because there was no explicit interprofessional education (IPE) mandate in the accreditation Standards 17,18 .…”

“…Since DH educational institutions must adhere to the accreditation standards, the extent to which these programs incorporate the new staging and grading system is driven by accreditation standards and guidelines 17,18 . Zorek and Furgeson studies concluded that the IPE was not integrated into DH programs because there was no explicit interprofessional education (IPE) mandate in the accreditation Standards 17,18 . These studies conjectured that if curricular content is explicitly stated in the accreditation standards, programs are almost certain to integrate it, whereas implicit verbiage in accreditation standards leaves it open to interpretation and, therefore, integration.…”

The Scope of Social Mission Content in Health Professions Education Accreditation Standards

“…[16][17][18] The number of interprofessional collaborations across schools has increased with the explicit inclusion of IPE in the Commission on Dental Accreditation (Standard 2-15) and Liaison Committee on Medical Education (Standard 19-A) standards. 19,20 In addition, the impact of accreditation on the health workforce can be observed in the temporal association between the addition of diversity standards and increased female, Black, and Hispanic matriculants in U.S. medical schools. 21 Similarly, the integration of public health standards by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) incentivized pharmacy schools to align their curricula to meet these requirements.…”

“…16–18 The number of interprofessional collaborations across schools has increased with the explicit inclusion of IPE in the Commission on Dental Accreditation (Standard 2-15) and Liaison Committee on Medical Education (Standard 19-A) standards. 19,20…”

Assessing dental hygiene students’ readiness for interprofessional learning and collaborative practice

“…However, according to Furgeson and Inglehart's recent 2019 study, which surveyed 117 dental hygiene program directors across the United States, IPE was most likely to occur in volunteer extra‐curricular activities rather than through integrating mandatory IPE within curriculum 8 . Dental hygiene educators have been slow to incorporate IPE into their curricula, and only a few studies have assessed the effectiveness of IPE implementation in dental hygiene programs 9‐12 …”