Dental Hygiene Students’ personality and communication skills: a qualitative study
Objectives: The purpose of this study is to: 1. Assess the personality and communication skills of Dental Hygiene Students at various stages throughout their training. 2. To monitor the impact of the programme on these skills. 3. To assess the students and patients perception of these skills. 4. To assess if levels of communication skills are reflected in the oral health practices of their patients. Methods: “The 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire 5th Ed”, will be used to assess the students’ personality against the 16 key traitsand as a predictor offuture behaviour. Communication skills will be measured by video taped observation of group discussions, audio taped clinical sessions and analysed using the “Interaction Process Analysis” & “Common Ground Rating Form” questionnaires, conversation analysis and measurement of clinical outcomes. Student’s perceptions of the interaction will also be assessed using the Common Ground Rating Form and individual interviews. The “Rochester Communication Rating Scale” will be used to assess the patients’ satisfaction levels. Logistical Progression: Initial psychometric and communication skills assessments will take place within the first month of the students commencing the two year Diploma. The students will be recorded taking histories & giving oral hygiene advice to patients on three occasions during training. The students and patients will complete post visit interviews and satisfaction questionnaires. Final psychometric and communication skills assessments will be completed at the end of the 2nd year. Conclusion: It is envisaged that this study will be continued over a number of years with new entrants to the programme. Communication skills in clinical settings are a vital component in patient care, evaluation of these skills can be complex using both quantitative and qualitative methods.