Design of a communication skills course in dentistry: Applying active‐learning strategies to improve educational outcomes

Purpose/Objective Effective communication, between patient and dentist, is a core clinical skill that commands dedicated pedagogy similar to that of developing scientific knowledge and psychomotor skills. This study aimed to describe active‐learning strategies in a dental communication skills course...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of dental education 2022-08, Vol.26 (3), p.577-585
Main Authors: Berry, Maria, Rodrigues, Vandilson, Evans, Jane L., Souza, Maria Isabel de Castro, Reher, Vanessa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
active learning
Communication
dental education
Dentistry
dentist‐patient relations
Design
Learning
Patients
Skills
Statistical analysis
technology‐enhanced learning
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Summary:Purpose/Objective Effective communication, between patient and dentist, is a core clinical skill that commands dedicated pedagogy similar to that of developing scientific knowledge and psychomotor skills. This study aimed to describe active‐learning strategies in a dental communication skills course, which sits within a broader foundation dental course and evaluate students’ educational outcomes. Methods This is a two‐phase retrospective, mono‐centred study, completed in 2019 at an Australian dental school. Phase I, a case report, describes the Communication Skills for Oral Health (CSOH) course design and its active‐learning strategies. Phase II analysed data from the course using Kirkpatrick's evaluation model to objectively measure the impact of the course and provide feedback to education designer. Students’ perception (Level 1) was evaluated with an institutional, validated online survey. Descriptive and statistical analysis, included paired tests and Spearman's correlation analyses, used to investigate learning effect (Level 2) and student behaviour change (Level 3). To assess the impact of the CSOH course design (Level 4) the student grades from the course were analysed. Results The CSOH course encompasses three major topics: Essentials of Communication Skills, Professional‐Patient Relationship and Managing Difficult Situations. Each topic included didactic content complimented with a variety of active‐learning strategies to teach and assess students. Positive outcomes were recorded across all Kirkpatrick levels. Conclusions This study suggests an efficient communication skills course design, which may assist in the development of communication skills courses in other dental education institutions.
ISSN:1396-5883
1600-0579
DOI:10.1111/eje.12734