#66: An Educational Needs Assessment of Oral Health Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Among Graduates of St. Jude Global Infectious Diseases Training Programs

Abstract

Abstract Background Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for oncologic diseases can cause oral complications during therapy or thereafter. These oral complications and their consequences may interfere with cancer treatment, prolong hospital stay, and increase overall treatment costs. Therefore, oral examination of children with cancer by healthcare providers must be part of routine clinical examination. According to published literature, oral examination and recommendations of best oral care in children with cancer might not be routinely practiced and varies among providers. We suspect that personal knowledge, attitude and practice may play an important role in the routine practice of healthcare professionals and that the introduction of an oral health curriculum may complement existing practice. To tailor oral health training, we must know the healthcare professional’s educational needs and their attitude toward oral health. Methods Steps followed to build the needs assessment of our targeted learners included: (1) literature review of published surveys; (2) reviews of oral healthcare policies; (3) key-informant interviews with practicing healthcare providers regarding oral health training; (4) selection of essential survey items; (5) face validity; and (6) pilot testing. We used the ©2019Qualtrics® software to build this survey. Face validity was evaluated and approved by five subject matter and survey experts. Graduates of the St. Jude Global Infectious Disease training served as pilot testing subjects. Results Interviews indicated that information about oral health examination is often contained in institutional policies; training in oral health is cursory. Surveys published in the literature have assessed knowledge related to oral complications such as oral mucositis and dental caries. We have added gingival conditions to our survey, which is also one of the most prevalent oral manifestation in pediatric cancer patients. Our 31-item survey is comprised of multiple choice and Likert scale questions distributed in seven sections, namely: (1) demographics; (2) clinical settings; (3) participant’s view of own oral healthcare; (4) knowledge and practice on oral infections; (5) knowledge, attitude and practice of oral examination; (6)attitude and practice of oral healthcare preventive measures, and; (7) continuing education. Validity testing indicated two questions that required modifications—the definition of plaque, its causes, and oral infections and manifestations. The final survey tool will take participants approximately 15 minutes to complete. Conclusion We developed a 31-item survey tool that will be used for assessing the needs of global healthcare providers, from which we can develop targeted and appropriate educational programs.