Document Type

Abstract

Publication Date

2-2021

Academic Year

2020-2021

Abstract

Purpose:

Dental nerve blocks are a vital skill for physicians to have when treating non-traumatic dental pain; however, there is yet to be a simple, practical, and effective way to educate residents in performing this task. The purpose of this project is to explore the efficacy of a low-fidelity dental model task-trainer in teaching emergency medicine residents to perform dental blocks.

Methods:

In this study, 29 EM residents at TJUH were surveyed regarding their knowledge and attitudes regarding performing dental blocks using a brief Likert-scale questionnaire. Next, they were given 15 minutes to practice performing dental blocks on a low-fidelity task trainer, guided by an attending physician. After using the task trainer, the residents were administered another questionnaire in the form of a post-test survey, assessing their knowledge and attitudes regarding performing dental blocks. The pre- and post-test survey data were collected and analyzed to evaluate the task trainer’s efficacy as an educational tool.

Results and Conclusions:

Overall, the results showed significant improvements on pre- and post-test Likert-scale responses for metrics assessing “confidence in performing dental blocks” and “likelihood to perform dental blocks when indicated.” 27 of the 29 residents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that the model was helpful in preparing them to perform dental blocks in the future. From these results, we can interpret that low-fidelity task trainers are an effective tool for educating residents on performing dental blocks. Further studies and subsequent analysis should are recommended to assess how a task trainer compares to typical (non-interactive) educational methods for performing dental blocks.

Language

English

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