In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics established the Oral Health Knowledge Network (OHKN), a network designed to facilitate monthly virtual learning sessions for pediatric clinicians, allowing them to glean knowledge from experts, exchange resources, and build connections within the field.
In 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Center for Integration of Primary Care and Oral Health collaborated to assess the OHKN. A mixed-methods evaluation of the program encompassed online surveys and qualitative interviews of the participants. Information was desired from them on their professional roles, past involvement in medical-dental integration, and their comments on the OHKN learning programs.
Out of the 72 invited program participants, 41 (57% of the total) completed the survey questionnaire, and 11 participants chose to participate in the qualitative interviews. OHKN involvement, as indicated by the analysis, proved supportive for the incorporation of oral health into primary care for clinicians and non-clinicians. The overwhelmingly positive clinical outcome, as reported by 82% of respondents, was the integration of oral health training into medical practice. Concurrently, the acquisition of novel information, according to 85% of respondents, represented the most noteworthy nonclinical advancement. The interviews, employing a qualitative approach, illuminated both the participants' past commitment to medical-dental integration and their present drivers for working in this field.
The OHKN's beneficial effect on pediatric clinicians and nonclinicians was evident, as a learning collaborative. It successfully motivated and educated healthcare professionals, enabling improved access to oral health for their patients via rapid resource sharing and alterations in clinical procedures.
The OHKN, successfully acting as a learning collaborative, had a positive effect on pediatric clinicians and non-clinicians, successfully educating and motivating healthcare professionals to enhance patient access to oral health through rapid resource sharing and modifications in clinical approach.
The incorporation of behavioral health subjects (anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, eating disorders, opioid use disorder, and intimate partner violence) into postgraduate primary care dental curricula was evaluated in this study.
In our research, we used a sequential mixed-methods approach. To ascertain the inclusion of behavioral health content within their curricula, a 46-item online questionnaire was sent to directors of 265 programs in Advanced Education in Graduate Dentistry and General Practice Residency. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was applied to uncover the factors linked to the inclusion of this material. Our research included interviews with 13 program directors, a content analysis, and the identification of themes connected to inclusion.
The survey received 111 completed responses from program directors, representing a 42% response rate. Fewer than half of the programs imparted the knowledge of recognizing anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, eating disorders, and intimate partner violence to their residents, in sharp contrast to the 86% that taught the identification of opioid use disorder. learn more Interview insights revealed eight core themes affecting behavioral health inclusion in the curriculum: training approaches; motivations behind these approaches; outcomes of the training, specifically how residents' growth was measured; outputs of the program, specifically the metrics used for program success; impediments to integration; suggested solutions for these impediments; and suggestions for strengthening the existing program. learn more Programs situated in settings with limited or absent integration were 91% less likely (odds ratio = 0.009; 95% confidence interval, 0.002-0.047) to include the identification of depressive disorders in their curriculum, as compared to programs in settings with almost full integration. The presence of both patient needs and organizational/governmental mandates shaped the inclusion of behavioral health material. learn more The organizational culture and a lack of available time posed obstacles to incorporating behavioral health training programs.
To enhance their curricula, residency programs in general dentistry and general practice should proactively include training regarding behavioral health issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and intimate partner violence.
General dentistry and general practice residency programs need to incorporate training on behavioral health conditions such as anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, eating disorders, and intimate partner violence into their educational frameworks.
While advancements in scientific knowledge and medical understanding have occurred, the unfortunate truth is that health care disparities and inequities endure across different groups. To promote equitable health outcomes, we must prioritize the education and training of the next generation of healthcare professionals in the domain of social determinants of health (SDOH). To attain this end, educational institutions, communities, and educators must actively participate in altering health professions education, ultimately creating transformative learning systems that more effectively serve the public health demands of the 21st century.
People united by a shared interest or fervor, known as communities of practice (CoPs), improve their capabilities in a particular area by consistently collaborating and learning from one another. The National Collaborative for Education to Address Social Determinants of Health (NCEAS) CoP's commitment lies in the integration of SDOH into the formal health professional educational system. To replicate a model for health professions educators' collaboration in transformative health workforce education and development, the NCEAS CoP can be utilized. By sharing evidence-based models of education and practice that address social determinants of health (SDOH), the NCEAS CoP aims to continually advance health equity and build a culture of health and well-being through the implementation of models of transformative health professions education.
Our work exemplifies the possibility of building bridges between communities and professions, thereby facilitating the sharing of curricular innovations and insightful ideas to tackle the continuing systemic inequities that drive health disparities, moral distress, and the burnout affecting our health care workforce.
Our work exemplifies the potential for cross-community and cross-professional collaborations that foster the free flow of innovative educational strategies and ideas, targeting the systemic inequities that perpetuate health disparities and contribute to the moral distress and exhaustion of our medical professionals.
The well-researched phenomenon of mental health stigma stands as a major impediment to obtaining both mental and physical healthcare. Primary care settings incorporating integrated behavioral health (IBH) services, where mental health care is situated alongside primary care, may help lessen the perception of stigma. The study's objective was to comprehend the opinions of patients and health care professionals concerning mental illness stigma as an impediment to engagement with integrated behavioral health (IBH), and to gain insight into strategies to reduce stigma, promote mental health dialogue, and increase utilization of IBH services.
Our study included 16 patients referred to IBH last year, and 15 health professionals (12 primary care physicians and 3 psychologists) who participated in semi-structured interviews. Transcriptions of interviews were independently coded by two coders, utilizing an inductive approach to identify themes and subthemes relevant to barriers, facilitators, and recommendations.
Interviews with patients and healthcare professionals revealed ten overlapping themes regarding barriers, facilitators, and recommendations, offering valuable complementary perspectives. Sources of hindrance included stigma arising from professionals, families, and the public, coupled with self-stigma, avoidance, and the internalization of negative societal stereotypes. Normalizing discussions of mental health and mental health care-seeking behaviors, employing patient-centered and empathetic communication strategies, and tailoring the discussion to patients' preferred understanding, are among the facilitators and recommendations.
A significant step in reducing the perception of stigma is for healthcare professionals to engage in patient-centered communication, normalize mental health discussions, promote professional self-disclosure, and present information in a manner that best suits the patient's preferred comprehension.
Healthcare professionals can combat negative perceptions surrounding mental health by initiating conversations that normalize these discussions, using communication methods centered around the patient's needs, encouraging professional self-disclosure, and adjusting their approach to align with patient comprehension.
Primary care is favored over oral health services by a larger portion of the population. Enhancing primary care training by including oral health education will, as a consequence, expand access to care for countless individuals and promote better health equity. In the 100 Million Mouths Campaign (100MMC), 50 state oral health education champions (OHECs) are being established to integrate oral health education into the primary care training program curricula.
OHEC recruitment and training spanned the 2020-2021 period and included individuals with diverse professional backgrounds and specializations, concentrated in six pilot states: Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, Hawaii, Missouri, and Tennessee. The 4-hour workshops, held over two days, were an integral part of the training program, then followed by monthly meetings. To ascertain the program's implementation effectiveness, we employed a combination of internal and external evaluations. Crucial to this was data collection from post-workshop surveys, focus groups, and key informant interviews with OHECs, aimed at determining process and outcome measures for the involvement of primary care programs.
The feedback from the post-workshop survey of all six OHECs suggested that the sessions were advantageous in outlining the course of action for the statewide OHEC organization.