Data Collection for Adverse Events Reporting by US Dental Schools

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Accreditation of US dental schools necessitates a robust system for assessing clinical adverse events (AEs).
• Currently, a universal system for collecting, interpreting, and reporting AE trends is absent.
• This lack of standardization impacts the ability to learn from and prevent AEs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the similarities and differences in adverse event (AE) reporting forms utilized across US dental schools.
• To identify variations in AE data collection methods and content.

Main Methods:

• A query was sent to US dental schools requesting copies of their AE reporting forms.
• Sixteen dental schools (24%) provided their forms for analysis.
• Forms were analyzed to identify unique AE items, which were then grouped and ranked by frequency.

Main Results:

• Significant differences were observed in the organization, format, and content of the AE reporting forms.
• A total of 69 unique AE items were identified, with no standardization in the type of information collected or the collection method.
• Schools employed varied data collection approaches: 2 used menus, 8 used free response, and 6 used a hybrid method.

Conclusions:

• Dental school clinic AE reporting forms exhibit a lack of standardization in structure, organization, and content.
• A hybrid reporting form, incorporating both guided and free responses, is proposed to ensure comprehensive data capture for understanding AE occurrences.
• Developing standardized methods for AE data collection and assessment is crucial for enhancing quality improvement and patient safety in dental education.