Access to Dental and Health Care in a Mobile Setting: A Cross-Sectional, Quantitative Research Study

Abstract

This case study describes lessons learned during 3 years of planning and implementing a field survey using digital data collection and analysis tools. The Free Dental and Health Clinic is a campus–community–corporate partnership that offers professional services to all who attend the 1-day event. Four co-directors established workgroups consisting of scores of collaborators throughout Virginia. I co-manage the research process including scheduling and facilitating research meetings; obtaining Institutional Review Board approval; writing and pre-testing a questionnaire and entering it in Qualtrics, an online survey and data analysis program; training college student research assistants; supervising questionnaire administration and confidentiality requirements; ‘cleaning’ and analyzing the data; distributing the research findings; developing plans for publication; evaluating strengths and weaknesses; and preparing for future research. During the first 3 years—2012, 2013, and 2014—the quantitative research design consisted of developing and then revising an original questionnaire for patients to complete while waiting to receive treatment. Using tablet computers and Qualtrics, specially trained research assistants asked questions and recorded 526 patients' answers. Although the medical and dental clinics ran smoothly, there were research lessons learned each year and revisions made to enhance data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Results from the 2013 Free Dental and Health Clinic survey show that 77% (n = 200) of research participants had no dental insurance coverage, with twice as many females (n = 133) being uninsured as males (n = 67). Furthermore, 2013 Free Dental and Health Clinic findings support the hypothesis that income, education level, and employment status are predictors of access to dental care.

locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles