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Integrating Child Oral Health Initiative into Pediatric Healthcare Services

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has implemented a new electronic referral system, ECOHI-referrals, to improve communication between the Child Oral Health Initiative (COHI) dental team and other hospital teams. The system aims to increase dental preventive screening rates and track referrals effectively. The project, which used four Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, resulted in a significant increase in the number of ECOHI-referrals and dental screenings for children.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Child Oral Health Initiative (COHI) was integrated into regular pediatric healthcare services to promote oral health and improve access to preventive dental care services.
  • The referral system was primarily paper-based, which impeded the accessibility and manageability of medical records.
  • The electronic referral system, ECOHI-referrals, was developed to improve communication between the COHI dental team and other hospital teams.
  • Four PDSA cycles were used to initiate and track the new referral system and improve the screening rate of referred children.
  • After implementation, the number of ECOHI-referrals for caries prevention in the pediatric ward increased from 0 to 351 during the project period.
  • The dental team received 351 ECOHI-referrals out of 420 (83.5%) eligible children in the pediatric ward.
  • Of the referred 351 children, 317 (90.3%) underwent dental screening.
  • Of the screened children, 263 (82.9%) established an ongoing dental home, and 98 (30.9%) children received fluoride applications.
  • Quality improvement methods facilitated the successful integration of COHI into hospital inpatient settings, increasing dental prevention visits to the pediatric ward, improving tracking of e-referrals, establishing dental homes for children, and enhancing communication between teams.

Statistics:

  • The number of ECOHI referrals increased from 0 to 351 during the project period.
  • Of the referred 351 children, 317 (90.3%) underwent dental screening.
  • Of the screened children, 263 (82.9%) established an ongoing dental home.
  • 98 (30.9%) children received fluoride applications.
  • The dental team received 351 ECOHI-referrals out of 420 (83.5%) eligible children in the pediatric ward.

Sources:

  • BMJ Open Quality, 2025,14(2).
  • Health & Medicine Week, May 30, 2025; p 1012.
  • BMJ Publishing Group.
  • Heba A Alkarimi, Dental Public Health, King Fahd Armed Forces Hospital (KFAFH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
  • Amal Jawadi, Shaimaa Tayeb, Ramysh Ismail, Esraa J AlShareef, Nouf Sherbini.

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