TY - JOUR
T1 - A Clinical Competency Framework for the Basic Package of Oral Care
T2 - Perceptions of Primary Oral Health Providers in Rural Nepal
AU - Koirala, Bidhya
AU - Acharya, Shreedhar
AU - Spero, Laura
AU - Mittal, Rakhi
AU - Erchick, Daniel J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge Dr. Bathsheba Turton for development of the BPOC Competency Framework and for providing helpful feedback on this manuscript. We would also like to thank local government officials who provided approval to conduct research in their wards. Finally we are very grateful to the clinical professionals who participated in this study for providing their time and valuable insights.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Koirala, Acharya, Spero, Mittal and Erchick.
PY - 2022/7/14
Y1 - 2022/7/14
N2 - Introduction: The basic package of Oral Care (BPOC) was developed to improve oral health care for underserved populations worldwide. However, systematic delivery of the BPOC has been difficult to achieve, and training efforts have in some cases contributed to proliferation of malpractice. Standard Competency Frameworks (CF), increasingly used in dental and medical education to improve quality assurance, have not been established to date for the BPOC. Methods: To evaluate provider perceptions of a BPOC-specific CF, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 Primary Oral Health Providers (POHPs) and 5 Clinic Assistants working in the Jevaia Oral Health Care project (Jevaia) in Nepal. Participants were limited to providers who have used the CF. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed in Nepali, and translated into English. A qualitative thematic analysis was applied through a multi-stage review process, and emergent themes were further grouped and categorized to draw final conclusions. Results: Findings were categorized into four groups: (1) “What is the CF to Me”: Respondents frequently conflated the CF with professional development training. These activities together were essentially felt to offer clear performance guidance and a pathway for learning. (2) “Relationship to the Work”: Respondents reported that the CF's guidelines increased confidence, peer accountability, and job satisfaction. (3) “Practical Improvements”: Providers felt the CF improved their clinical skills, communication, crowd management, and teamwork. (4) “Community Impact”: Many participants felt that improved skills had led to a more efficient workflow, greater community acceptance, and increased utilization of services. Conclusions: Clinicians broadly felt that the CF improved both their professional satisfaction and the quality of patient care. CFs should be considered integral to BPOC implementation, along with opportunities for continuous professional learning, and these activities will likely be most meaningful and impactful when recognized by government and other licensing bodies.
AB - Introduction: The basic package of Oral Care (BPOC) was developed to improve oral health care for underserved populations worldwide. However, systematic delivery of the BPOC has been difficult to achieve, and training efforts have in some cases contributed to proliferation of malpractice. Standard Competency Frameworks (CF), increasingly used in dental and medical education to improve quality assurance, have not been established to date for the BPOC. Methods: To evaluate provider perceptions of a BPOC-specific CF, in-depth interviews were conducted with 7 Primary Oral Health Providers (POHPs) and 5 Clinic Assistants working in the Jevaia Oral Health Care project (Jevaia) in Nepal. Participants were limited to providers who have used the CF. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed in Nepali, and translated into English. A qualitative thematic analysis was applied through a multi-stage review process, and emergent themes were further grouped and categorized to draw final conclusions. Results: Findings were categorized into four groups: (1) “What is the CF to Me”: Respondents frequently conflated the CF with professional development training. These activities together were essentially felt to offer clear performance guidance and a pathway for learning. (2) “Relationship to the Work”: Respondents reported that the CF's guidelines increased confidence, peer accountability, and job satisfaction. (3) “Practical Improvements”: Providers felt the CF improved their clinical skills, communication, crowd management, and teamwork. (4) “Community Impact”: Many participants felt that improved skills had led to a more efficient workflow, greater community acceptance, and increased utilization of services. Conclusions: Clinicians broadly felt that the CF improved both their professional satisfaction and the quality of patient care. CFs should be considered integral to BPOC implementation, along with opportunities for continuous professional learning, and these activities will likely be most meaningful and impactful when recognized by government and other licensing bodies.
KW - Basic Package of Oral Care
KW - Nepal
KW - Primary Oral Health Provider
KW - competency framework
KW - dental education
KW - quality assurance
KW - quality of care
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U2 - 10.3389/fpubh.2022.914581
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2022.914581
M3 - Article
C2 - 35910900
AN - SCOPUS:85135089295
SN - 2296-2565
VL - 10
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
JF - Frontiers in Public Health
M1 - 914581
ER -