Assessment of a Computer Based Clinical Data and Tutor Program

Undergraduate dental students are prepared for clinical contact with patients in the Pre-clinical Skills Laboratory, but this is generally of a limited nature. Co-ordinating undergraduate teaching with the exposure of students to the conditions and procedures encountered in the clinical wards presents a particular problem since students frequently encounter clinical situations of which they have inadequate knowledge and/or experience. In order to address this problem, a computer based data and tutor program was developed which enables students to record patient data and to access information at the chair side regarding procedures and conditions. Objectives: To assess and compare student and tutor response to the program. Methods: Ten final year undergraduate students (Group A) and four dental lecturers (Group B) were introduced to the program with a brief explanation of the purpose of the program. They were supplied with fictitious patient data and requested to enter the data into the program, making use of the tutor function when necessary, and on completion of this task to evaluate the program on the basis of a questionnaire. Their responses were recorded and statistically analyzed by means of the Mann-Whitney Rank Sum Test. Results: A significant difference between the sets of data was not proven (P>0.05. Conclusion: This pilot study indicated a positive response to the program by students and tutors.