Development Strategies in Medical Education

Introduction
Dental education is a dynamic process in which students practically apply the experiences and learnings at patients’ bedside and in interaction with instructors and environment. Internal evaluation can be used as an appropriate approach to evaluate the university departments or faculties. The progress of a university cannot be done without understanding the quality of the internal and external environment. Also, the ability of planners and university managers to recognize the status of the departments in the faculties depends on the results of the internal evaluation of departments. Considering the effects of many factors on the quality of learning and education, it is necessary to evaluate the status of departments in terms of teaching, research and service delivery. The current study aims to conduct an internal evaluation of the departments of the Dental School at Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences (RUMS), Iran. 

Methods 
This is a descriptive-analytical study with a cross-sectional design conducted in 2021 at the Dental School of RUMS. Two methods were used to collect information. First, interviews were conducted with the managers of departments and faculty members using a checklist. Then, questionaires were used to collect information from dental students and patients. Sanat Khani’s questionnaire [11] was completed by 97 students, which surveys demographic information (such as age, gender, and the year of entry into the university) and the information about the departments. A questionnaire prepared by the Dental School at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences [12] was completed by 355 patients. The collected data was entered into SPSS software for statistical analysis. The significance level was set at α<0.05.

Results
The ANOVA showed no significant difference in the domains of management/organization and education between the departments (P>0.05). The highest mean scores in the domains of management/organization, education, professional growth, and research were obtained in the departments of surgery, orthodontics, radiology, and oral diseases, respectively. The lowest scores in the domains  of management/organization, education, and professional growth were related to the department of periodontics; in the research dimension,  the lowest score was for the department of prosthetics. The most research activity was in collaboration with internal departments (74.1%) and other organizations (25.9%), and the department of oral diseases had the most research activity. The students were most satisfied with the department of prosthetics while they were least satisfied with the department of endodontics. The patients were most satisfied with the department of endodontics while they were least satisfied with the department of surgery. The highest satisfaction of patients was with the interpersonal factors while their least satisfaction was with facilities.

Conclusion
The departments of the dental school at RUMS perform better in the field of management/organization, followed by education and professional growth fields. The management/organization performance of the departments of orthodontics, surgery, oral diseases, and radiology was favorable; for the rest of the departments, it was relatively favorable. Students had the most satisfaction with the department of prosthodontics, while they had the least satisfaction with the department of endodontics. The satisfaction of students with all departments was relatively favorable. Furthermore, patients had the most satisfaction with the department of endodontics, while they had the least satisfied with the department of surgery. 
Continuous internal evaluation can determine the strengths and weaknesses of the university departments. Some dental school departments have a relatively favorable or unfavorable performance in various fields; therefore, in order to reach the standard conditions and fulfill the set goals, it is recommended to develop suitable strategies and plans and take action to improve their performance by recognizing their strengths and weaknesses. Faculty and university managers should provide the necessary resources to achieve the desired conditions.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
The proposal of this research has been approved by Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. (Ethics code: IR.RUMS.REC.1400.240)

Funding
This study was funded by Research Deputy of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences

Authors' contributions
The authors contributed equally to preparing this paper

Conflicts of interest
According to the authors of this article, there is no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the cooperation of the esteemed Vice President of Research and Technology of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences and the officials and faculty members of Rafsanjan Faculty of Dentistry.


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