Patient-Reported Dental Safety Events: A South African Perspective.

OBJECTIVES: In recent years, there has been an increase in research studies highlighting patients' experiences of adverse events (AEs) as well as the role of patients in promoting safety. The primary goal of the study was to assess the prevalence of dental AEs (DAEs) among dental patients in South Africa and its associated factors. The integration of the patient perspective into dental patient safety research will enhance our collective understanding of DAEs. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of adult patients at a large dental academic institution in South Africa from May to June 2015, evaluating their previous experiences of DAEs at any dental clinic in South Africa. Descriptive statistics and bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing a DAE. RESULTS: A total of 440 questionnaires were returned during the 6-week study period (response rate = 97.8%). Overall, 45.5% of participants reported experiencing one or more DAEs. Two hundred participants reported a total of 717 DAEs giving us a lifetime prevalence of 1.6 DAEs per respondent. Our results suggest that respondents who were younger (18-24 y), from high-income families (>R150,000 or US $9200), dissatisfied with their last dental visit and oral health had an increased likelihood of reporting a previous experience of a DAE. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an insight into the nature of information that can be gleaned from dental patients regarding safety and helps lay the foundation for patient involvement in patient safety reporting.

South African Dental Students' Perceptions of Most Important Nonclinical Skills According to Medical Leadership Competency Framework.

Recent developmental frameworks suggest that dental curricula should focus on developing nonclinical skills in dental students. The aim of this study was to qualitatively map students' perceptions of the most important nonclinical skills against the Medical Leadership Competency Framework (MLCF). A representative sample of second- to fifth-year students (n=594; overall response rate 69%) from all four dental schools in South Africa participated in a cross-sectional survey in 2014-15 enquiring about nonclinical skills and dental practice management. One of the questions required students to list the four most important nonclinical skills required for a dentist. Students (n=541) most frequently noted competencies related to working with others (97.9%), personal qualities (72.3%), and managing services (42.9%) as the most important nonclinical skills. Very few students mentioned competencies related to the improvement of services (14.1%) and the provision of strategic direction (10.9%). The students' attention appeared to be on nonclinical skills generally required for clinical care with some realization of the importance of managing services, indicating a need for a stronger focus on leadership and management training in dental schools in South Africa. The results also helped to unravel some of the conceptual ambiguity of the MLCF and highlight opportunities for leadership research using the MLCF as a conceptual framework.