ABSTRACT
Although uncommon, medical emergencies do occur in the dental office setting. This article describes the development and implementation of an office-based emergencies course for third-year dental students. The course reviews the basic management of selected medical emergencies. Background information is provided that further highlights the importance of proper training to manage medical emergencies in the dental office. Details regarding course development, implementation, logistics, and teaching points are highlighted. The article provides a starting point from which dental educators can modify and adapt this course and its objectives to fit their needs or resources. This is a timely topic that should benefit both dental students and dental educators.
Subject(s)
Dental Offices , Education, Dental , Emergencies , Emergency Medicine/education , Emergency Treatment , Students, Dental , Airway Management , Blood Pressure Determination , Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation , Chest Pain/diagnosis , Chronic Disease , Clinical Competence , Curriculum , Defibrillators , Dyspnea/diagnosis , Feedback , Heart Sounds , Humans , Hypoglycemia/therapy , Iatrogenic Disease , Neurologic Examination , Program Development , Respiratory Sounds/diagnosis , Syncope/therapy , Teaching/methods , Teaching MaterialsABSTRACT
We describe the development and implementation of an office-based emergencies course for podiatric medical students. The program included a didactic session along with clinical skills stations incorporating task trainers, high-fidelity simulators, and a standardized patient. We tailored the course to the level of the junior podiatric medical student. The primary goal of this program was to provide a review on how to handle selected office-based medical emergencies. This course focused on complications of common chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, and hypertension, along with other unexpected emergencies, such as altered mental status, seizure, and syncope. In developing such a course, it is important to keep in mind the level of the learner and resources such as faculty availability and the facilities available for teaching.
