A Research on Service and Awareness of Dental Coordinators by Manpower at Dental Care Service Institutions - Centering on Manpower Other than Dentists

치과코디네이터 업무 및 인식에 관한 조사연구 - 치과의사를 제외한 기타 인력을 중심으로

  • Published : 2006.12.20

Abstract

To analyze dental hygienists and other manpower at dental care service institutions where a dental coordinator was working among about 200 dental care service institutions in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon as of June 2005 for contents of training for dental coordinators, opinions of qualification of dental coordinators, present and future services provided by dental coordinators, and awareness of dental coordinators and to provide basic data about future services, roles, and cultivation of dental coordinators, a survey was conducted and 216 copies returned were analyzed, obtaining the following results. 1. 83.8 percent needed an educational program for dental coordinators as an educational content; 41.7% had awareness of the educational content; and 83.8 percent insisted that over the intermediate level of curricula should be taken. Dental coordinator cultivation institutions identified included the institution under the control of the Korean Dental Hygienists Association and the education center for the department of dental hygiene; 76.9% insisted that an appropriate qualifying examination should be necessary. They suggested the central government department and the local government as a certification institution; 39.4% insisted that financial support for the education should be provided by financing education alone. Only 28.7% experienced dental coordinator education and 73.1% hoped to serve as a dental coordinator. They were found to expect a rise in payment(64.4%) and in the title(46.8%) after completion of the educational program. 2. 66.2% saw a dental hygienist as the most appropriate for a dental coordinator; clinical career (39.4%) and practical capacity(29.2%) were suggested as requirements for a dental coordinator; and a period of over three years(47.2%) was suggested for appropriate dental career. 3. Dental coordinators' present services included 'reservation management' for customer management, 'staff service training' for organization management, 'understanding of customer reception attitudes and actions' for self-management, 'hospital information management' for hospital marketing, 'acceptance' for hospital affairs management, and 'hospital environment management' for hospital facilities management; their future services included 'acquisition of ability to use a foreign language' for self-management, followed by 'staff service training' for organization management, 'training and counseling' for customer management, 'acquisition of counseling capacity' for self-management, 'complaining customer reception' for customer management, and 'marketing strategy implementation' for hospital marketing. 4. After comparing dental hygienists and other manpower in terms of dental coordinators' future services, dental hygienists showed interest in 'acquisition of ability to use a foreign language,' 'staff service training,' 'complaining customer reception,' and 'acquisition of counseling capacity' while other manpower showed interest in 'acquisition of ability to use a foreign language,' 'document data management,' 'acquisition of basic service manner,' 'acquisition of counseling capacity,' 'manpower management,' 'establishment and evaluation of a marketing strategy,' and 'education and counseling.' 5. As for awareness of dental coordinators, they were thought of as helpful in improving image of a dental clinic; it was found that continuous training should be necessary to develop dental coordinators' capacity; dental coordinators' services should be important and contribute to patients' qualitative satisfaction.

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