Factors Influencing Case Discussions in a Philippine Dental School

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Perceptions of today's healthcare students determine the direction of health profession education. This research identified the factors that influenced student learning during case discussions at a Philippine dental school.

Methodology: Non-participant observation was conducted on students across year levels and among faculty members from the disciplines of Oral Medicine, Operative Dentistry, and Prosthodontics. Focused Group Discussions (FGD) and Interviews were utilized to triangulate observations. Measures of Central Tendency analyzed student and case discussion profiles while Content Analysis was utilized on field notes and transcripts of case discussions, interviews, and FGDs.

Results and Conclusion: The results of this study supplemented the evidence in Boyd [11], Hendricson et al. [8], Alinea [2], and Pineda [6] that successful clinical learning involves skilled facilitators, time-invested encounters utilizing HOTS strategies, provision of adequate waiting time, and timely feedback - all performed in a non-threatening environment for both student and facilitator. Understaffed clinical learning environments resulted in case discussions with multiple interruptions, decreased faculty-student interactions, and an overworked faculty. Clinical learning was hindered by inconsistent feedback, preconceived inadequacies, and incongruent expectations. Since case discussions are central to clinical teaching, the value of effective facilitating and the maintenance of a non-threatening environment are integral.