Metro South Oral Health (MSOH) currently uses the Clinical Indicator (CI) data to review procedures and clinical outcomes as part of continuous quality improvement of practices across the service. MSOH receive this information based on clinic and clinician stream, which can be utilised by local managers to assess current practices for preventive and restorative treatment.
Improving Care Outcomes for Paediatric Dental Patients
Initiative Type
Service Improvement
Status
Deliver
Added
Last updated
Summary
Key dates
Jan 2016
Jun 2019
Implementation sites
Metro South Hospital and Health Service
Aim
Improve oral health care of at risk paediatric patients by reducing return rates for restorative dentistry.
Benefits
- Supports a positive shift in clinical practice by understanding and using local evidence.
- Promotes critical analysis and communication skills of clinical managers
Background
The most effective way for Health and Hospital Services (HHSs) to measure outcomes of care for paediatric patients is to use the Oral Health Clinical Indicators (OHCI), published by the Australian Council of Health Standards. The CI reports, produced by the Office of the Chief Dental Officer (OCDO), enables potential issues to be flagged for review and exploration by Hospital and Health Services.
Solutions Implemented
Collaboration with OCDO has allowed further refinement of the CI reports to tailor them to the needs of clinical managers within MSOH. This ensures information is relevant and triggers further investigation, as the data is reflective of the clinicians in MSOH Nathan-Inala Cluster. Through a collaborative team approach with senior clinicians in MSOH, clinical audit tools are currently in development to assess themes in the clinical rationale for the current rate of retreatment of restorations and fissure sealants in paediatric patients.
Evaluation and Results
Preliminary data gathered during the development of the clinical audit tool have enabled open and transparent discussions within the clinical team of Dental Therapists and Oral Health Therapists in the Nathan-Inala Cluster of MSOH. MSOH uses peer discussion aimed at identifying the causes of high rates of re-treatment when using particular dental restorative materials. Following this approach, clinicians are reassessing current treatment planning processes, including choice of restorative material, based on the risk assessment of individual patients.
Lessons Learnt
CI reports allow clinical managers to review practices occurring within local clinical teams that may affect the provision of safe and effective care to paediatric patients. The collaboration with OCDO has enabled MSOH to develop clinical audit tools; assess the quality of dental materials currently available to clinicians; identify training and education needs for clinicians; and has encouraged and supported an open dialogue between managers and clinical teams.
