(PO-182) Spotlight on Quality—Crafting Administration Manuals That Improve Outcomes

Author: Steven S. Toth, N/A, D.M.D. – Associate Professor, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Author: Jill A. York, D.D.S., M.A.S. – Professor, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Author: Susan DeMatteo, M.Ed. – Director of Institutional Assessment and Q.I., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Author: Steven S. Singer, D.D.S. – Chair, Diagnostic Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine
Submitter: Steven S. Toth, N/A, D.M.D. – Associate Professor, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Dental Medicine

Objectives: The success of dental education programs hinges on well-crafted administration manuals – living, organized, and curated collections of standard operating procedures that define program culture, policy, expectations, and curriculum. Well-executed administration manuals palpably improve program compliance and have measurable impact on multiple levels. Improvements are evident in dental record quality, patients are treated on a more holistic level, and faculty are calibrated to meet program expectations.

Methods: Administrative manuals were crafted by adapting three models of curriculum design – subject-centered, learner-centered, and problem-centered architecture. Rutgers School of Dental Medicine’s (RSDM) Extramural Clinics (EC) introduced the first iteration of the RSDM EC Ryan White Administration Manual in 2006, and now in its fourth edition, defines continuous processes for assessing and monitoring quality, provides data and measurable outcomes to determine progress toward goals, and fits within the framework of other programmatic quality improvement activities. The design models and processes employed to create this manual are reproducible: tailored for its own unique post-graduate audience, a second manual, the RSDM General Practice Residency (GPR) Ryan White Administration Manual, was authored as a spiritual sister – while maintaining a focus on data and outcomes assessment and calibration, the GPR Administration Manual emphasizes policy and procedure as well as holistic patient management, nutrition, oral hygiene instruction, tobacco cessation counseling, and case selection.

Results: RSDM developed manuals that cultivated a quality and compliance driven culture that improved oral health outcomes. Objective improvements in completion rates of preventive care were realized - oral hygiene education, nutrition counseling, and tobacco cessation rates improved 25%, 28%, and 18%, respectively.

Conclusion: Well-crafted administration manuals promote an organizational commitment to holistic quality, compliance, and effective practices. By clearly defining accountability chains, procedural expectations, and best practices, the models utilized to create an effective administration manual can be applied to any program.are needed.