Faculty of Dentistry, Dalhousie University, 5981 University Avenue, Room, Halifax, 5224, Canada.
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Dec 22;22(1):1570. doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08925-z.
In Spring of 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian provincial dental hygiene regulatory bodies implemented new practice guidelines. Reports of stress, anxiety and conflict experienced by dental hygienists have been linked to miscommunication between oral health regulators at this time. Limited data exists on the perceptions and experiences of dental hygienists navigating new guidelines for dental hygiene care during the pandemic. Therefore, the objective of our study was to explore via descriptive thematic analysis how dental hygienists experienced and perceived: i) dental hygiene practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ii) their regulatory body's COVID-19 guidelines.
Participants were identified through provincial dental hygiene licensing bodies. Online bi-monthly questionnaires were administered to participants (n = 876) from December 2021 to January 2022. Two open-ended questions were asked in the questionnaire. A qualitative descriptive thematic analysis was applied to these two questions.
Major themes at baseline relayed challenges related to workplace compliance, patient treatment and communication of practice protocols. Across responses, hygienists confirmed conflicting messaging from regulators and guideline interpretations as stressors impacting their professional practice and satisfaction within the profession. Participant responses at endpoint cited increased satisfaction with regulatory guidelines as the pandemic evolved, yet inconsistencies in regulators' messaging was noted as a prevailing issue.
Inconsistent guideline messaging reflects an increased need for collaboration amongst oral health care regulators to streamline protocols for practice and reduce interprofessional conflict in pandemic circumstances. A national unified approach is warranted in establishing guidelines for dental hygiene practice in Canada.
2020 年春季，由于 COVID-19 大流行，加拿大省级牙科卫生监管机构实施了新的实践指南。有报道称，在此期间，口腔卫生监管机构之间沟通不畅，导致牙科卫生师感到压力、焦虑和冲突。关于在大流行期间为牙科卫生护理制定新指南时，牙科卫生师的看法和经验，目前仅有有限的数据。因此，我们的研究目的是通过描述性主题分析来探讨牙科卫生师如何体验和感知：i）COVID-19 大流行期间的牙科卫生实践，以及 ii）他们监管机构的 COVID-19 指南。
通过省级牙科卫生许可机构确定参与者。从 2021 年 12 月至 2022 年 1 月，对参与者（n=876）进行了在线每两个月一次的问卷调查。问卷调查中提出了两个开放式问题。对这两个问题应用定性描述性主题分析。
基线时的主要主题是与工作场所合规性、患者治疗和实践协议沟通相关的挑战。在所有回复中，卫生师证实了监管机构之间相互矛盾的信息和对准则的解释是影响其专业实践和职业满意度的压力源。参与者在终点时的回复表示，随着大流行的发展，他们对监管准则的满意度有所提高，但监管机构信息不一致仍然是一个主要问题。
准则信息不一致反映出在大流行情况下，口腔卫生保健监管机构之间需要加强合作，简化实践协议，并减少专业间的冲突。在加拿大，需要建立一个全国统一的方法来制定牙科卫生实践准则。
