Implementation of a Patient‐Centered Approach to Clinical Dental Education: A Five‐Year Reflection

Abstract

The intent of the redesign of the clinical component of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) curriculum from a traditional numerical procedures-based system to a patient-based comprehensive care system was to improve both patient care and student learning. The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the outcomes of and students' perspectives on this patient-centered comprehensive care model introduced in 2009. Data were obtained from the school's Office of Dental Education for a study sample consisting of 205 fourth-year dental students in the graduating classes of 2009 through 2014 at HSDM. The results showed that students were completing more than the required number of comprehensive patient cases on average. A survey given to the Class of 2014 found that the respondents (35 of 36 students) were generally satisfied with the new curriculum and the clinical experience in relation to continuation of care and perceptions of comprehensive care. The results of this study suggest that the redesigned patient-centered assessment model of the clinical component of the curriculum helped improve patient care and student learning.