Authors:
Barbara Overman, PhD, MSN, MPH, CNM;
Anthony Cahill, PhD.;
Peter Jensen, DDS, MS, MPH;
Christine Cogil, DNP, MSN, MPS, FNP-BC
University of New Mexico, College of Nursing
Center for development and Disability, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Department of Dental Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine
University of New Mexico College of Nursing
Objective:
This presentation has three major objectives: to Describe the process of successfully translating and testing evidence-based oral health care interventions by an interprofessional team including primary care providers, dentists, community health and social science professionals to build a primary care oral health delivery model; Assess the role of diffusion of innovation theory and team climate in creating successful interdisciplinary team intervention; and Describe the impact of the delivery model on the oral health of patients.
Setting:
The model to be discussed in the presentation was developed in a three-year HRSA-funded project, Innovation in Primary Care Oral Health: Interprofessional Team Practice. The collaborative project of the College of Nursing, the Dental Residency Program and the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico, has successfully implemented an innovative model of interprofessional oral care in two primary care practices in Bernalillo, New Mexico. This approach is consistent with the conclusion drawn by the Department of Health and Human Services that “Improving access to oral health care will necessarily require multiple solutions that use an array of providers in a variety of settings†and the recommendation contained in the Network for Public Health Law report on oral health care to “Encourage Oral Health Education and Care in the Primary Care Settingâ€.
Methods:
A barrier to successful translational research is an inability to sustain innovative interdisciplinary teams (Disis and Slattery, 2010). The project created an interdisciplinary team from primary care, dentistry, community health and social science to translate evidence-based interventions in oral care into a primary care setting. The intervention includes oral exams, clinical risk-based screening and management, patient self-management oriented education and formal referrals to dental providers.
Results:
A two-pronged evaluation strategy monitored team climate among the interprofessional team that created the intervention and tracked patient outcomes, including patient views, oral and diabetes disease indicators, preventive oral health practice intentions and increased use of dental care. Data analysis has begun, and preliminary results suggest positive outcomes across these indicators. Analysis will be completed in May, 2015.
Interpretation:
Translational research can be used to effect change in clinical practice and improve patient outcomes. Translating clinical care approaches from one discipline to another through the use of interprofessional team innovation and practice across the traditionally separate dental and medical care systems serving the same patients will likely achieve the best outcomes.