Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure the change in levels of knowledge of providing culturally competent care and self-assessed cultural competence of senior level dental hygiene students after the implementation of an online cultural competence training module.
Methods: Twenty-eight members of the senior class of 31 dental hygiene students (N=28) volunteered to participate in this IRB approved study at the Ohio State University School of Dentistry. The students took the online Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence- Student Version (IAPCC-SV), to assess their self-perceived cultural competence. Upon completion of the pre-test, students then completed the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Professionals; a three-module online training program designed to measure increased knowledge of cultural competence. Three weeks following the initial pre-test and upon completion of the Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Professionals online learning modules, students re-took the IAPCC-SV.
Results: Twenty-eight senior dental hygiene students completed the IAPCC-SV pre-test, the OMH e-learning modules and the IAPCC-SV post-test. The average score on the pre-test was 55.14±7.54 and the average score on the post-test was 61.33±7.86. There was a significant difference in pre-test and post-test scores (p<0.001). There were also significant differences in the constructs of knowledge of cultural competence (p<0.001) and skill (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The HHS OMH Cultural Competency Program for Oral Health Professionals was effective for increasing dental hygiene students' levels of knowledge of cultural competence.
- cultural competence
- cultural competency assessments
- cultural knowledge
- curriculum development
- dental hygiene education
Footnotes
Heather N. Daugherty, RDH, BSDH is the EFDA Clinical Coordinator and clinical dental hygiene instructor; Dental Hygiene Clinical instructor; Rachel C. Kearney RDH, MS is an assistant professor and chair; both in the Division of Dental Hygiene, The Ohio State University College of Dentistry, Columbus, OH.
This manuscript supports the NDHRA priority area Professional development: Education (educational models).
- Received September 8, 2017.
- Accepted May 5, 2017.
- Copyright © 2017 The American Dental Hygienists’ Association