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The Dentist's Role in Southern Brazilian Teaching Hospitals: A Grounded Theory Study
Gianina Salton Mattevi1, Ana Lúcia Schaefer Ferreira de Mello2, Frank Andrew Scannapieco2
1Gianina Salton Mattevi is a PhD student, Postgraduate Program in Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil; Ana Lúcia Schaefer Ferreira de Mello is Professor, Department of Dentistry and Postgraduate Program in Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil; Frank Andrew Scannapieco is Professor and Chair, Department of Oral Biology and Associate Dean for Faculty and Professional Development, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo; and Daniela Lemos Carcereri is Dean, Dental School and Professor, Postgraduate Program in Dentistry, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil. gianinasmattevi@gmail.com.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to develop a theoretical model to describe the role that the dentist plays in Brazilian hospital settings. This qualitative study was based on the grounded theory research method. Participants were a total of 27 individuals in three groups: dentists and general practice and oral and maxillofacial surgery residents; faculty; and other health professionals who interacted with dental patients in the hospital setting during the 2012-13 year. Data were collected in three teaching hospitals in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, through scripted interviews using open-ended questions. The stages of collection, codification, ordination, and integration of data were guided by constant comparative techniques to formulate a theoretical model. The codes generated were organized into seven categories: identifying the hospital as a working and teaching environment; recalling the dentists' professional pathways; reflecting on the dentist's work in the hospital; considering the political and organizational dimension of the role of the dentist in the hospital; understanding patients' life and health contexts; education and professional practice; and moving on towards interdisciplinary practices in the hospital setting. Integrating the categories led to a theoretical model called "The Dentist's Role in the Hospital Setting: An Interdisciplinary Construction." This theoretical model provides a framework to understand how dentists perform in the hospital setting, with a focus on interdisciplinary practice, which in this study was shown to be incipient and heterogeneous.