Student Data from Clinical Education at the School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University

Abstract

Research data produced in association with PhD Thesis, 'A Prospective Evaluation of Interprofessional Team-Based Clinical Education at the School of Dentistry and Oral Health, Griffith University'. As the potential value of interprofessional education (IPE) is strongly advocated in the literature, the Griffith University School of Dentistry and Oral Health (DOH) introduced the interprofessional teams-based treatment planning (TBTP) process in 2009 to address these educational challenges and facilitate IPE. The TBTP process incorporated student practice teams and an expansion of peer learning through collaboration between students enrolled in three different oral health programs, namely dentistry, dental technology and oral health therapy. It was perceived that shared learning, understanding of complementary knowledge, collaborative participation in managing patient care, and having knowledge/respect for each professions’ role were all necessary to improve communication and teamwork skills in a pre-qualification context in readiness for collaborative oral health practice. However, a systematic evaluation of the TBTP process, its contribution to student clinical learning and experiences, and whether those experiences contributed to advancing interprofessional competencies and capabilities at DOH has not been conducted since its commencement. The thesis documents an evaluation that researched the attitudes, perceptions and experiences of students, clinical teaching staff, patients and newly graduated OHPs involved with the TBTP process at DOH between 2012 and 2015. This data informs part of that evaluation.