Journal of dental hygiene : JDH
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Interpersonal communications skills for dental hygiene students: a pilot training program.
The educational preparation of most oral health professionals specifically has not addressed professional-patient interaction skills. The purpose of this pilot research project was to determine if the Carkhuff model of communication skills training would improve the interpersonal communication skills of junior dental hygiene students. ⋯ It is important that dental hygiene practitioners have the requisite interpersonal skills to facilitate the partnership between each patient and client in attaining and maintaining optimal oral health. The results of this pilot study support the recommendation that interpersonal communication skills training become an integral part of the dental hygiene curriculum. However, further studies on this aspect of education should be completed in order to verify the results of this study and provide further support for changes in the education and socialization process of dental hygiene professionals.
-
Very little research has been conducted about the state of oral healthcare for the terminally ill in Michigan hospice programs. The purpose of this study was to assess the oral healthcare services currently being provided by caregivers in Michigan hospice programs and to determine the needs for oral healthcare in-service training for nurses, home health aides, and volunteers who may provide basic oral care. ⋯ Although a wide range of oral healthcare services are being provided for terminally ill clients in Michigan hospice programs by nurses, aides, and volunteers, the majority of providers may not receive adequate information to provide complete and effective services. Based on these results, it is recommended that the dental hygienist take a leadership role in providing oral health information to hospice caregivers.
-
Limited documentation is found on dental hygienists' attitudes toward acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and their knowledge and practice of clinical infection control to prevent disease transmission to themselves and their patients. The purpose of this paper was to survey practicing Pennsylvania dental hygienists to document 1) their infection control practices; 2) their attitudes towards AIDS patients; and 3) their knowledge of clinical infection control practices. ⋯ Since Pennsylvania dental hygienists, within the limitations of this study, appear not to follow CDC guidelines on proper and responsible operatory/laboratory aseptic techniques stringently, and to differentiate infection control procedures based on perceived patient HIV status, recommendations are that 1) the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania should mandate that all Pennsylvania-licensed dental hygienists take at least one state-approved course on operatory/laboratory infection control every two years to qualify for relicensure; 2) all dental and dental hygiene education institutions and professional organizations should place more emphasis on strict adherence to the various agency recommended clinical guidelines for infection control; and 3) all dental hygienists should continually strive to update their own knowledge of current infection control practices.