Use of handheld computer technology to monitor general practice residents' clinical experiences.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) requires that General Practice Residency (GPR) programs report a summary of each resident's clinical experiences. The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of handheld computer technology in tracking residents' clinical procedures. In the academic years 2004-05 and 2005-06, University of Kentucky GPR residents were provided a Palm M130 with customized forms. These menu-driven forms allowed residents to record procedures. Residents synchronized the data to a centralized database. A separate reporting system interfaced with the database to allow administrators to produce detailed reports on each resident. At the end of the academic year, data were tabulated, clinical procedures were correlated with respective costs, and annual production was determined. Data from fourteen residents were analyzed. Types and frequencies of various clinical experiences were tabulated, financial production summaries assessed, and percentage distribution of procedures by discipline was examined. Palm technology has proven to be an effective tool in monitoring each resident's clinical experiences. This methodology was beneficial to residency directors by allowing the examination of the experience distribution of each discipline in dentistry to determine the range of experiences that residents achieved.
Dyer
Marc D
MD
General Practice Residency, Division of General Dentistry, Kentucky Clinic Dentistry, Kentucky, USA. mddyerdmd7@hotmail.com
Presler
Emory A
EA
Raybould
Ted P
TP
Burklow
Cindy
C
Smith
Timothy A
TA
D001292:Attitude to Computers; D034201:Computers, Handheld / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003729:Dental Care; D004282:Documentation; D004499:Education, Dental, Graduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005792:General Practice, Dental / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007629:Kentucky; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires