(PO-035) Outcomes of the Stony Brook University PACE Program

Author: Yiji Suh – Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine
Author: Shuning Liu – Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine
Author: Rui Zhang – Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine
Author: Nina Anderson – Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine
Author: Dolores Cannella, Ph.D. – Associate Dean for Education, Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine
Author: Renee Fabus, Ph.D.
Author: Cheryl Meddles-Torres, DNP
Author: Kathleen Monahan, D.S.W.
Author: Mary Truhlar, D.D.S. M.S. – Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine
Submitter: Yiji Suh – Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine

Introduction: The PACE Program (Partnership to Advanced Collaborative Education) at Stony Brook School of Dental Medicine, established in 2015, seeks to support the comprehensive healthcare of senior patients while providing health professional students with an instructive interprofessional (IP) team environment. Due to the COVID pandemic (2020), the program shifted from a clinical
to telehealth platform to minimize the exposure to susceptible patients, students, and faculty while offering teams of dental, nursing, social welfare, and speech-language pathology students, clinical experiences using teledentistry and telemedicine.
 

Methods: Our study evaluated student experiences of the program through a post-program Qualtrics questionnaire assessing both its telehealth and IP elements based on the Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) and American Association of Medical Colleges (AMMC) telehealth competencies. 
 

Results: Of the 79 potential participants, 21 (27%) responded and provided general accordance that the PACE program was a valuable educational experience with the following items rated highest (strongly agree/agree): promoted effective communication between team members (80%), enabled non-judgmental expression of ideas and concerns (87%), and helped better appreciate the role and ability of other professions and how they complement my own (81%). Also, many students were able to envision the use of telehealth in their own future clinical practices (96%), identifying benefits in preliminary assessment visits, 
follow-up visits, and consultations with specialists. Student responses indicated that developing team leadership skills, introducing training in telehealth practice earlier in professional education, and adding additional clinical settings would be of immense value. 
 

Conclusion: Based on these results, educational course planning will continue to incorporate IP teams, focus on the development of earlier introductory courses that include leadership skill training, and investigate the expansion of student IP telehealth teams to enhance clinical care for patients with urgent treatment needs, special needs, and dental phobia.