The University of Texas
Dental Branch at Houston A Part of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Dental Hygiene Student Rotation
in Quality Assurance and Risk Management

Purpose:

The purpose of this rotation is to provide second year dental hygiene students with practical applications of quality assurance and risk management concepts and methods. The four hour experience will be lead by the Director of Quality Assurance and Risk Management, and will focus on record reviews, risk management case discussions, and an infection control exercise.

Format:

After an introduction to quality assurance and risk management concepts, each student will review five patient electronic patient records selected at random using a standardized evaluation instrument provided during the session. Secondly, the students will view a presentation of de-identified dental hygiene records with adverse clinical results. Interactive discussion will follow on steps that could have been taken during the treatment to better the eventual outcome for the patients. Thirdly, the students will evaluate the infection control process of an assigned clinic area utilizing the UTDB Infection Control Monitoring Form.

Objectives:

• To help students develop an appreciation for the concepts of quality assurance and risk management.
• To provide students with experience in evaluating the clinical records of others.
• To provide students with experience in applying risk management knowledge to evaluate cases with adverse outcomes.
• To provide students with experience in monitoring and reporting infection control practices in a clinical environment.

Accreditation Standards addressed by this rotation:

• Standard 2-14 Dental hygiene science content must include oral health education and preventive counseling, health promotion, patient management, clinical dental hygiene, provision of services for and management of patients with special needs, community dental/oral health, medical and dental emergencies including basic life support, legal and ethical aspects of dental hygiene practice, infection and hazard control management, and the provision of oral health care services to patients with bloodborne infectious diseases.
• Standard 2-24 Graduates must be competent in applying ethical, legal and regulatory concepts to the provision and/or support of oral health care services.
• Standard 2-25 Graduates must be competent in the application of self- assessment skills to prepare them for life-long learning.
• Documents all procedures and required information in the patient's chart.
• Demonstrates ability for self-evaluation according to criteria presented in manuals and lectures.

Evaluation Methods:

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• Completion of this rotation will be achieved through the student's active participation in the pre-assigned session and satisfactory completion of the exercises. The Director, School of Dental Hygiene will be notified of any deficiencies as they occur to allow remediation of the session.

Location:

• The preferred location for this rotation is the Simulation Center, or alternatively, the Library LRC with access to the EPR.

Logistics:

• This rotation, beginning in Fall 2008, will be scheduled by the Director, School of Dental Hygiene during clinic hours.
• Second Year Dental Hygiene Students will be scheduled in the fall semester.
• One clinical practice will be scheduled per session (i.e. 8-10 students).