The Intra-Professional Relationship Among the Dental Team: A Qualitative Study
(PO-192) The Intra-professional Relationship Among the Dental Team: A Qualitative Study
Monday, March 21, 2022
10:00am – 12:00pm EST
Location: Hall C
Author: Eman H. Ismail, D.D.S M.S Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University Author: Ohoud Q. Alotaibi, B.S.c M.S – 2Supervisor of Inter Professional Education Unit, Simulation and Skills Development Center, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University Author: Nadia Buraik, D.D.S. – General Dentist, Ministry of Health Author: Raghad Aldulijan, - – Dental Student, Riyadh Elm University Author: Raghad Aljohany, - – Dental Student, Riyadh Elm University Submitter: Eman H. Ismail, D.D.S M.S Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University
Background: The success of the dental team is related to the efficiency of the dental team and interrelationship among the members. In the medical field, it has been reported that ineffective intra-professional communication among teams of healthcare providers leads to poor patient services and medical errors. However, little is known about the nature of the relationship and the intra-professional difficulties that the dental team faces.
Objectives: To explore the factors that affect the intra-professional relationship among the dental team; dentists, dental hygienists, dental lab technicians, and dental assistants.
Materials and
Methods: After obtaining the IRB approval and collecting consent forms, three focus group interviews were conducted. Each focus group consisted of a dentist, dental lab technician, hygienist, and dental assistant. Participants were selected via purposive sampling, and the inclusion criterion was for dental professionals who are serving in the public sector in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Nf12). A Twenty-dollar gift card was given to each participant as an incentive. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded manually by two researchers. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to generate findings. Quirkos software was used to manage the data.
Results: Data suggests that the background (educational and social), and the organizations are the root cause that shapes one’s self-believes and values. In consequence, these factors affect how the dental team members interact with each other. The outcome of such poor intra-professional relationships leads to suboptimal patient care, hence, dissatisfied patients.
Conclusion: The intra-professional relationship among the dental team is influenced by many factors. Dental educational programs have to include intra-professional collaborative courses involving the four dental disciplines at early stages. This would positively impact the efficiency of future dental teams, which will lead to improved patient care.
