Background: Bedsore is a common problem in patients with stroke, causing an increased number of hospitalizations, increased healthcare costs, and mortality of these patients. Typically, due to their numerous problems, these patients are not able to take care of themselves and thus their care providers play an important role in providing care at their home. Objectives: The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating home-based training on the incidence of bedsore in patients with stroke, during year 2017. Methods: In the present clinical trial study, 70 family caregivers of stroke patients that had referred to Ali Ebne Abitaleb Hospital, Zahedan, Iran, were chosen through available sampling and then randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. In the intervention group, explanations were provided for the family caregivers about stroke, its resulting problems, bedsore, methods for preventing and caring for bedsore at home. The explanations were provided at the place of residence of the patient at the time of discharge as well as two and three weeks after discharge at home, and on the patient's bedside. In the control group, on the other hand, routine trainings of the ward were given. After 12 weeks, both groups were evaluated in terms of incidence of bedsore, based on scoring presented by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP). Data analysis was performed by chi-square and t-test, using SPSS 21. Results: The number of individuals in each group was 35. Frequency of incidence of bedsore after the intervention in the intervention and control groups was 25.7 and 48.6%, respectively. The statistical results indicated that there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of frequency of bedsore (P = 0.046). Conclusions: Home-based training is a practical and inexpensive method for participation of family members in providing care for patients with stroke and reducing incidence of bedsore in these patients.

Background: Pneumonia is one of the most common hospital-acquired infections, where 86% is associated with mechanical ventilation, known as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). Oropharyngeal decontamination reduces the incidence of VAP by medicinal agents. Objectives:The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of oropharyngeal decontamination using topical antibiotics on oropharyngeal and tracheal colonization of trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: The present double-blind clinical trial was performed on trauma patients, who underwent endotracheal intubation during the first 24 hours, at the ICU of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital, Zahedan, during years 2017 to 2018. The sample size was 100 individuals, who were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The study began with the start of intubation and lasted for five days. When oral and tracheal culture samples were sent to the laboratory during the first 24 hours after endotracheal intubation, the pre-mixed solution of nystatin, polymyxin B, and neomycin was rubbed to the mouth, lips, gingiva, and cheeks of the intervention group, using syringes and gloves, four times a day. The tracheal and oral secretions were cultured in the intervention and control groups at the beginning and the end of the study. Data analysis was carried out using the SPSS version 21 software. Independent t test and paired t test were used to compare the quantitative variables, and qualitative variables were compared using the chi-square test and Fisher's exact test. The significance level was considered at 0.05. Results: When the final drop-out occurred, out of 44 remaining patients in the intervention group, the number of negative oral cultures increased from 31 cases (70.5%) in the pretest to 39 (88.6%) in the posttest. A total of 25 negative oral cultures were recorded in the control group in both the pretest and posttest stages. Also, the number of negative tracheal cultures in the intervention group increased from 38 cases (86.4%), in the first turn, to 44 (100%) cases in the second turn; while in the control group, the number of negative tracheal cultures was recorded as 39 (88.6%) in the first turn and increased to 40 cases (100%) in the second turn. Conclusions: Clinically, reduced colonization rate of invasive bacteria, as the main result of the present study, indicates a decrease in the incidence of inappropriate alterations in oral microbial flora that can subsequently be effective in reducing the incidence of diseases, such as pneumonia.