Clinical Operations

Patient Assignment

Patients who visit the institute clinic are assigned to students for treatment. Odento manages this assignment to ensure:

• Students get the case types they need to fulfill their clinical requirements
• Patients are matched to students at the appropriate skill level
• Workload is distributed fairly across the student cohort
• Patients with complex needs are assigned to senior students or postgraduates

When a patient registers at the institute clinic, the front desk enters their chief complaint. Odento suggests suitable students based on:

• The student's outstanding clinical requirements (does the case type match what they need?)
• The student's current workload (how many active cases do they have?)
• The student's competency level (has the student been assessed as competent for this procedure type?)
• The student's current department rotation

Supervision

Every procedure a student performs must be supervised by a faculty member. Odento enforces this through the workflow:

1. The student creates a treatment plan for the patient
2. The plan is sent to the assigned supervising faculty member for review
3. The faculty member approves, modifies, or rejects the plan with feedback
4. Only after approval can the student begin the procedure
5. During the procedure, the faculty member is present and provides guidance
6. After the procedure, the faculty member verifies and signs off on the work

Supervision levels can be configured based on the student's year and competency:

• Direct supervision: Faculty must be physically present for the entire procedure (typical for junior students)
• Indirect supervision: Faculty must be available on-site and check the work at key stages (typical for senior students)
• Independent practice: Student works independently with faculty review after completion (for postgraduates and final-year students who have demonstrated competency)

Procedure Logging

After completing a procedure, the student logs it in their procedure log. The log entry includes:

• Patient reference and tooth number(s)
• Procedure type and description
• Date and duration
• Supervising faculty member
• Treatment notes (clinical record)
• Materials used
• Any complications or learning points
• Photos (before, during, after) — optional but encouraged

The supervising faculty member reviews and verifies the log entry. Once verified, the procedure counts toward the student's clinical requirements.

Procedure Log Entry
  Student:     Anjali Patel (BDS2024-047)
  Patient:     Patient #PT-00342
  Procedure:   Class II Composite Restoration
  Tooth:       #36 (mesio-occlusal)
  Date:        15 Jan 2025, 10:30 AM
  Duration:    45 min
  Supervisor:  Dr. Rajesh Kumar (Professor, Conservative Dentistry)
  Status:      Verified ✓
  Counts toward: Amalgam/Composite Restorations (42/40 ✓)

Competency Tracking

Beyond counting procedures, Odento tracks whether students have demonstrated competency in each procedure type. Competency is assessed through:

• Procedure count milestones: After completing a minimum number of procedures (e.g., 10 extractions), the student becomes eligible for competency assessment
• Faculty competency assessment: A faculty member formally assesses the student performing the procedure unsupervised, using a standardized rubric
• OSCE stations: Clinical exam stations that test specific competencies under standardized conditions

Each competency has a status: Not Started, In Progress (collecting procedures), Eligible for Assessment, Assessed — Competent, or Assessed — Needs Improvement. The competency dashboard shows each student's status across all required competencies.

Clinic Efficiency

Manage the institute clinic's daily operations with tools for chair scheduling, patient flow, and wait time tracking. The clinic dashboard shows how many patients are waiting, which chairs are occupied, and which students and faculty are available — giving the clinic coordinator a real-time view of operations.