Courtney Sparks
Fall 2024
Market Research Part 1
Research Problem Studied
​Does the Free Dental Screening Program at IUSD adequately address the needs of underserved populations in terms of accessibility and awareness?
Surveyed 6 potential customers on target audience.
Surveys are a beneficial way to ensure that the target audience’s needs are being met. They also showcase the areas that need improvement. Surveys give people the ability to answer questions on their own time, where they aren’t pressured. People will likely answer more honestly and with more thorough responses. One of the ways this information is obtained is through quantitative date (Likert Scale) and qualitative data (open ended questions). Surveys are the best option for gathering data from many people in a short period of time. This is good when trying to understand the needs of underserved communities. The Free Dental Screening Program targets a broad demographic, so the survey allows you to reach a wide range of participants who will share their opinions about accessibility, quality of the service, and concerns or barriers they have. Surveys are also cost effective because there is no need to travel and do not require face-to-face interaction.
Research Instrument
Survey Questions
1. How did you hear about the Free Dental Screening Program at IUSD?
-social media
-word of mouth
-flyers or posters University announcement
2. If you or someone you know has used the Free Dental Screening Program, could you please explain the experience?
-very high quality
-high quality
-neither high nor low quality
-low quality
3. What factors would most encourage you to use the Free Dental Screening Program? (Select all that apply)
-Cost (free services)
-Convenient scheduling (weekends or evenings)
-Access to quality care-Location (proximity to campus or home)
-Other (please specify)
4. What barriers, if any, prevent you from using the Free Dental Screening Program? (Select all that apply)
-Lack of awareness about the program-Inconvenient hours (only available on Saturdays)
-Concerns about quality of service
-Not needing dental care now
-other (please specify)
5. How important is weekend availability to you when scheduling healthcare services?
-very important
-somewhat important
-not important
6. Do you think the Free Dental Screening Program meets the needs of underserved communities in terms of accessibility and affordability? (Please elaborate on your response)
-strongly agree
-agree
-neutral
-disagree
-strongly disagree
7. How likely are you to refer others to the Dental Screening Program?
-very likely
-likely
-neither likely nor unlikely
-unlikely
-very unlikely
Market Research Part 2
The survey involved 6 participants who shared their experiences and perceptions of the Free Dental Screening Program. The first result was that 83.33% of people learned about the program by word of mouth. It was surprising that more did not learn of the program via social media, flyers, or the university announcements. Only 16.67% learned about it through social media. This finding suggests an area where the awareness is lacking in the program. These numbers suggest a more diversified approach needs to be addressed.
When asked about the quality of care they received, 50% of respondents rated it as "very high quality," and 50% rated it as "high quality." No participants rated the care as “poor or low quality”, so that is a good indicator to the program’s ability to provide excellent service. These results should be highlighted in marketing materials to build trust and credibility. This positive feedback will likely encourage referrals to the clinic.
In terms of what encourages people to use the program, cost (free services) was the most influential factor, with 83.33% of respondents revealed it as a reason for participating. Other motivating factors included convenient scheduling (33.33%) and access to quality care (50%). The response shows that offering free dental care is a highly attractive factor to patients in an underserved community. Additionally, the convenient scheduling and quality care were also significant motivators.
The survey also revealed barriers that prevent people from using the program. The greatest obstacle was a lack of awareness, which was selected by 100% of respondents. This was the reason selected for not using the program.
When it came to weekend availability, 33.33% of participants said having Saturday hours was very important to them, while 66.67% said it was somewhat important. This result indicated while weekend availability is convenient it is not a necessity to all patients. 16.67% indicated they did not need dental care at this time. This feedback highlights the importance of offering flexible scheduling to accommodate patients with busy weekday schedules. Having additional hours throughout the weekdays and weekend could attract more patients not available on Saturday’s. Scheduling more days could be a critical factor in making this program more available to working people or students who have limited availability.
Additionally, respondents either “strongly agreed” (33.33%) or “agreed” (50%) that the program meets the needs of underserved communities by offering accessible and affordable care. However, 16.67 % remained neutral, and that suggests there is room for improvement regarding the ability of the program to meet the needs of all underserved groups. Finally, 66.67% of participants said they were either "very likely" and 33.33% were "likely" to refer others to the program. No one reported being neutral or unlikely to refer others. This is a good indication the program has high patient satisfaction and the program benefits from positive word of mouth.