Improving Efficiency in Dental School Clinics by Computerizing a Manual Task

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Informatics
• Dental Education

Background:

• Manual faculty request process for student provider quality checks was inefficient.
• Transitioned to a computerized Faculty Request System (FRS) for dental student providers.
• Evaluated student provider experiences with both manual and computerized systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a computerized Faculty Request System (FRS) on dental student providers.
• To quantify time savings and analyze how this time was utilized.
• To understand the effect of the FRS on patient encounters and experiences.

Main Methods:

• Survey administered to student providers after experiencing both manual and computerized FRS.
• No reminders or incentives were used for survey completion.
• Descriptive statistics used to analyze survey data; IRB approval obtained.

Main Results:

• A 47.1% survey response rate was achieved.
• Significant time savings reported by student providers using the FRS, with most gaining 21-30 minutes per session.
• Additional time was primarily used for patient notes, treatment discussions, patient interaction, and other duties.

Conclusions:

• The FRS significantly increased student provider time with patients, averaging nearly 30 minutes more per 3-hour session.
• Student providers reported numerous benefits from the FRS, positively impacting patient care and experiences.
• The computerized system streamlined faculty requests, enhancing efficiency and patient-provider engagement.