Anna Dargue1, Eithne Fyfe1, Kathryn French1, Kamran Ali2, Edmund Bailey3, Aileen Bell4, Robert Bolt5, Yogesh Bulsara6, James Carey7, Charlotte Emanuel8, Rachel Green9, Nadine Khawaja10, Evgeny Kushnerev11, Neil Patel11, Simon Shepherd12, Binthan Smart13, Joanna Smyth14, Kate Taylor15, Kumar Varma Datla16. 1. University of Bristol Dental Hospital. 2. Peninsula Dental School, University of Plymouth. 3. Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London. 4. University of Glasgow Dental Hospital and School. 5. University of Sheffield Dental School. 6. School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham. 7. University of Leeds, School of Dentistry. 8. School of Dentistry, Cardiff University. 9. School of Dental Sciences, Newcastle University. 10. Faculty of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences, King's College London. 11. Division of Dentistry, University of Manchester. 12. University of Dundee Dental Hospital and School. 13. Institute of Dentistry, University of Aberdeen. 14. School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast. 15. School of Dentistry, University of Liverpool. 16. School of Dentistry, University of Central Lancashire.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Patient safety within dental education is paramount. Wrong site surgery (WSS) tooth extraction is not uncommon and is a significant Never Event (NE) in dentistry. This study aims to explore dental schools' undergraduate experience of NEs, safety interventions implemented and the impact on student experience. METHODS: All 16 UK Dental Schools were surveyed via e-mail. RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. A modified WHO checklist was used within institutions (94%) including pre-operative briefings and recording teeth on whiteboards (81% respectively). Students were directly supervised performing extractions (63%) utilising a 1:4 Staff: Student ratio. WSS by students was reported in 69% of schools, with student experience being impacted by an increased patient safety focus. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated an increased utilisation of an adapted WHO checklist. Modification of practices to ensure patient safety was demonstrated at all schools, irrespective of student WSS occurrences. Institutions experiencing student NEs commonly implemented WHO checklists and recording teeth for extraction on whiteboards. Other strategies included direct staff supervision and pre-operative briefings. CONCLUSION: UK Dental Schools have increased the emphasis on patient safety by the implementation of national healthcare models e.g. WHO checklists and pre-operative briefings. These strategies both aim to improve communication and teamwork. Increased levels of staff supervision foster greater quality of teaching however, this has resulted in reduced student clinical experience. A proposed minimum standard for undergraduate surgery is suggested to ensure safe and competent dental practitioners of the future. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
INTRODUCTION:Patient safety within dental education is paramount. Wrong site surgery (WSS) tooth extraction is not uncommon and is a significant Never Event (NE) in dentistry. This study aims to explore dental schools' undergraduate experience of NEs, safety interventions implemented and the impact on student experience. METHODS: All 16 UK Dental Schools were surveyed via e-mail. RESULTS: The response rate was 100%. A modified WHO checklist was used within institutions (94%) including pre-operative briefings and recording teeth on whiteboards (81% respectively). Students were directly supervised performing extractions (63%) utilising a 1:4 Staff: Student ratio. WSS by students was reported in 69% of schools, with student experience being impacted by an increased patient safety focus. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated an increased utilisation of an adapted WHO checklist. Modification of practices to ensure patient safety was demonstrated at all schools, irrespective of student WSS occurrences. Institutions experiencing student NEs commonly implemented WHO checklists and recording teeth for extraction on whiteboards. Other strategies included direct staff supervision and pre-operative briefings. CONCLUSION: UK Dental Schools have increased the emphasis on patient safety by the implementation of national healthcare models e.g. WHO checklists and pre-operative briefings. These strategies both aim to improve communication and teamwork. Increased levels of staff supervision foster greater quality of teaching however, this has resulted in reduced student clinical experience. A proposed minimum standard for undergraduate surgery is suggested to ensure safe and competent dental practitioners of the future. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Keywords:
WHO checklist; never event; oral surgery; patient safety; undergraduate; wrong site surgery