Objective: In the event of a medical emergency in the dental office, the supervising dentist must be able to effectively lead the office team in a concerted effort to stabilize the patient and transfer them to higher-level medical care. This study investigates the impact of a simulation-based medical emergency training curriculum on the ability of general practice residents to effectively manage medical emergencies in a dental environment.
Methods: An interventional and pre-post educational trial of 16 general practice residency participants was carried out at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. Eight participants completed a standard training curriculum as the control group and eight completed a modified training curriculum as the intervention group. The intervention consisted of a simulation-based education curriculum designed for dentists called Medical Emergency Management in the Dental Office (MEMDO). Near the completion of residency, each participant experienced a summative performance-based assessment using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), which was later reviewed and scored by a customized 128-point scoring grid. Additionally, the intervention group completed a baseline performance assessment at the beginning of their residency. Four calibrated faculty reviewers scored each OSCE independently. These data were subsequently analyzed using nonparametric statistical tests with alpha set to 0.05. Reviewer consistency was assessed by calculating an intraclasscorrelation coefficient. All participants completed a survey of demographic information and 11 Likert-type questions.
Results: The intervention group performed significantly better than the control group (p=0.0009). This group improved their post-intervention score by an average of 36.9 points out of 128. The intraclass correlation coefficient was found to be 0.9795. Surveys found all participants in agreement with the importance of medical emergency preparedness of all dentists. Comparison of survey responses to performance scores found improved self-assessment ability in the intervention group.
Conclusions: Implementing a simulation-based medical emergency preparedness training curriculum was effective in the formation of general practice residents who are able to manage medical emergencies in a dental clinical setting.