McNally, Mary
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10222/38639
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Item Open Access Exploring Fifty Years of Scholarship Across the Curriculum (SAC) and Table Clinics at the Dalhousie Faculty of Dentistry(Dalhousie University. Faculty of Dentistry, 2022-04-04) Robison, Warren; McNally, MaryFor some, doing research can be ominous and uncertain. From time to time, one may hear in the halls of the dental building, in tones of frustration, “Why do we need to do research to become a good clinician!?” I had the opportunity to attend the “Table Clinics” (TC) event on the day I interviewed for dental school at Dalhousie. At that time, I began to wonder if research in one area or another influenced the direction, or at least confidence level, of clinicians towards the specific area of research that they studied for their TC project. For example, if someone did research on implants, did they have more confidence regarding the use of implants in their practice further down the road? The intent of this research was to find out whether the “learning about how to do re- search” through TC projects and learning about Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD) has influenced the practice of future clinicians. This was done by sending a focused survey to all Dalhousie Faculty of Dentistry (FOD) Alumni, both Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) and Dental Hygiene (DH), to explore their experiences relating their understanding of EBD and their TC topic to later practice. The results of the survey indicated that for both DDS and DH the learning and/or skills they gained by doing a TC project was beneficial. The in-depth knowledge gained about their TC topic benefited them both as a student and as a clinician. Learning about the research process specifically did not provide as much benefit to them as a clinician, though still providing benefit. Participants overwhelmingly responded that understanding the principles of EBD has provided a benefit in responding to clinical questions (90%), and agreed that the learning of scholarship skills, such as searching and analyzing papers, should be included as part of a dental education.Item Open Access A year of research and collaboration supporting the phased reopening of primary oral health care service delivery in Nova Scotia during the COVID-19 pandemic: March 2020 to March 2021(Dalhousie University, Faculty of Dentistry, 2021-05) McNally, Mary; Rock, Leigha; Cleghorn, Blaine; Kraglund, Ferne; Lee, Chris; Brady, James; Filiaggi, Mark; Davis, Benjamin; Steeves, Thomas; Boyd, Carolyn; Brillant, Martha; Bryan, Stacy; Gillis, Martin; Muise, CodyExecutive Summary: The timing of this report marks just over one year since the province of Nova Scotia, in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, announced the closure of all but emergency oral health services in March 2020. Oral health providers were among the first to appreciate the gravity of the situation. The transmission of COVID-19 through respiratory droplets meant that aerosol generating procedures (AGPs) used for routine oral health care posed a risk to oral health care providers and to those seeking care. It was generally accepted that standard precautions for infection prevention and control (IPC) were going to be insufficient. A collaboration evolved amongst regulators of oral health professions, oral health profession member organizations and practitioners, the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness (NSDHW), dental educators and researchers to address the complexities of shutting down oral health services, to guide the anticipated phased reopening and to prepare for possible subsequent pandemic waves. Through a Nova Scotia Rapid Response COVID-19 Health Research Coalition research grant, our small team of clinicians and researchers supported regional and national oral health care initiatives through the following objectives: Objective I: Expand and strengthen knowledge translation/exchange both regionally and nationally: Regional networking resulted in concrete program evaluation and dissemination of return-to-work strategies for Nova Scotia oral health care providers. Nationally, resources are shared and exchanged through our Association of Canadian Faculties of Dentistry network. Investigators represent Nova Scotia and Dalhousie University in three national initiatives (funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Immunity Task Force) exploring COVID-19 related experiences of oral health providers, educators, students and related staff. Objective II: Explore Nova Scotia oral health care providers’ uptake of Return to Work (RTW) guidelines: The influence of evidence-based guidelines and related education on RTW practices of NS dentists, Registered Dental Assistants and Registered Dental Hygienists during a phased return to work plan was explored through surveys undertaken at two critical RTW phases. The provincial multi- stakeholder coalition was effective in establishing and communicating comprehensive guidelines and web-based education to ensure a phased and unified re-integration of oral health services in NS in the early months of the pandemic. Objective III: Catalogue current best evidence of COVID-19 relevant to oral health care delivery: A standardized search strategy, summarized and disseminated weekly, led to the creation of a catalogue of over 600 articles and online documents to guide safe responses to COVID-19. Most were single studies, narrative reviews, and editorials from experts. A small number of systematic reviews consistently summarized weak evidence to support queries. Objective IV: Compare RTW protocols to inform local policy and procedures: Over fifty protocols from relevant provincial, national and international jurisdictions and institutional jurisdictions were reviewed. Differences in timing of re-opening and high variability in community rates of COVID-19 infection and risk made it challenging to systematically compare protocols. Protocols specific to clinical teaching settings demonstrated inconsistent interpretation of evidence in the application of evolving standards.Item Open Access Action planning for daily mouth care in long-term care: the brushing up on mouth care project(2012) McNally, M. E.; Martin-Misener, R.; Wyatt, C. C.; McNeil, K. P.; Crowell, S. J.; Matthews, D. C.; Clovis, J. B.Research focusing on the introduction of daily mouth care programs for dependent older adults in long-term care has met with limited success. There is a need for greater awareness about the importance of oral health, more education for those providing oral care, and organizational structures that provide policy and administrative support for daily mouth care. The purpose of this paper is to describe the establishment of an oral care action plan for long-term care using an interdisciplinary collaborative approach. Methods. Elements of a program planning cycle that includes assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation guided this work and are described in this paper. Findings associated with assessment and planning are detailed. Assessment involved exploration of internal and external factors influencing oral care in long-term care and included document review, focus groups and one-on-one interviews with end-users. The planning phase brought care providers, stakeholders, and researchers together to design a set of actions to integrate oral care into the organizational policy and practice of the research settings. Findings. The establishment of a meaningful and productive collaboration was beneficial for developing realistic goals, understanding context and institutional culture, creating actions suitable and applicable for end-users, and laying a foundation for broader networking with relevant stakeholders and health policy makers.Item Open Access The Influence of Industry on Dental Education(2010-10) Gillis, Martin R.; McNally, Mary E.Academic dental institutions face the growing challenge of securing the resources needed to develop a curriculum that incorporates current innovation and technology to ensure that students' learning experiences are relevant to current dental practice. As a result, university-industry relationships are becoming increasingly common in academe. While these relationships facilitate curriculum relevance, they also expose students to external market forces. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of industry on dental education using a qualitative research study design. Analysis of semistructured interviews with thirteen Dalhousie University dental faculty members revealed two primary themes that suggest a tension between the traditional hierarchical organizational structures guiding curriculum (i.e., authoritarianism) and industry's quest for profit (i.e., entrepreneurialism). Additional themes demonstrate a belief that industry directly influences students' knowledge and understanding of evidence as well as their experience with both the formal and informal curricula. Industry's presence in academe is a concern. Dental educators, as stewards of the profession, must be nimble in brokering industry's presence without compromising the integrity of both the educational program and the teaching institution as a whole.