ABSTRACT
The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the impact of faculty calibration training on intra- and interrater reliability regarding calculus detection. After IRB approval, twelve dental hygiene faculty members were recruited from a pool of twenty-two for voluntary participation and randomized into two groups. All subjects provided two pre- and two posttest scorings of calculus deposits on each of three typodonts by recording yes or no indicating if they detected calculus. Accuracy and consistency of calculus detection were evaluated using an answer key. The experimental group received three two-hour training sessions to practice a prescribed exploring sequence and technique for calculus detection. Participants immediately corrected their answers, received feedback from the trainer, and reconciled missed areas. Intra- and interrater reliability (pre- and posttest) was determined using Cohen's Kappa and compared between groups using repeated measures (split-plot) ANOVA. The groups did not differ from pre- to posttraining (intrarater reliability p=0.64; interrater reliability p=0.20). Training had no effect on reliability levels for simulated calculus detection in this study. Recommendations for future studies of faculty calibration when evaluating students include using patients for assessing rater reliability, employing larger samples at multiple sites, and assessing the impact on students' attitudes and learning outcomes.
Subject(s)
Dental Calculus/diagnosis , Dental Hygienists/education , Faculty/standards , Calibration , Feedback , Humans , Knowledge of Results, Psychological , Observer Variation , Pilot Projects , Reproducibility of Results , TeachingABSTRACT
Can a clinical continuing education course impact practitioner provision of care in everyday practice? National recommendations call for continuing education that is closely linked to practitioner learning at the point of care and for outcome assessment that measures the effectiveness of learning activities on the learner's practice behavior. Educational research has shown that interactive learning with clinical participation and the opportunity to practice is one of the most effective educational interventions. This study used an interactive educational intervention during a 3-day clinical course designed for dental hygienists. A follow-up survey was sent to determine whether the knowledge and skills that were taught in the course were applied subsequently to patients in practice. Sixty-one of 97 surveys were returned for a 63% response rate. Descriptive data including frequencies, means, medians, and standard deviations were obtained for all survey items. The majority of respondents reported moderate to high gains in knowledge and skills as well as application to patients in practice. The majority also identified continuing education as the primary source of information used when making changes in practice.
