Development and implementation of an online screening application at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Dental School.
This article describes a quality improvement (QI) initiative that is in process at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) Dental School and the website that grew out of this effort. The process of screening and assignment of patients was selected for improvement in 2006. QI methods were used to develop a website that improves access to care for patients and assists in the matching of patients and students. The website (www.dentalscreening.com) has received more than 15,000 screening applications in the period from May 2007 to January 2010 and has provided unprecedented insight into the needs of our patients. This article outlines the process by which the website was created, the rationale for the design, and the benefits of establishing a screening website for any dental school. The program was developed entirely at UTHSCSA, but it addresses a problem that may affect many dental schools.
Department of Restorative Dentistry , San Antonio Dental School, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA. connorj@uthscsa.edu
Joseph P
JP
Connor
William D
WD
Hendricson
Gary F
GF
Guest
William W
WW
Dodge
D001071:Appointments and Schedules; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003442:Crowns; D019992:Databases as Topic; D003729:Dental Care; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000628:therapy; D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004497:Education, Dental; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000628:therapy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination; D020407:Internet; D020380:Needs Assessment; D019647:Oral Surgical Procedures; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D012575:Schools, Dental; D012649:Self Concept; D013781:Texas; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000379:methods*; D014584:User-Computer Interface