Awareness among intensive care nurses regarding oral care in critically ill patients

Abstract

Background:Oral health and general health are interdependent which influence each other through biological, psychological, emotional, and developmental factors. As patients in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) are completely dependent on the caregivers, the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the nurses influence the recovery of patients to a greater extent.Objectives:Unfortunately, oral health problems are usually overshadowed by other serious needs in critically ill patients. In addition, nursing staff appear to perceive oral health as the most difficult part of their work, hence been a low-priority intervention. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of ICU nurses on oral care in critically ill patients.Materials and Methods:A total of 200 nurses working in 21 different hospitals in Mysore, Karnataka, participated in the cross-sectional survey. The survey instrument included the demographic details, knowledge, attitude, and practice of oral care, complications in ICU due to lack of oral care, and educative programs attended.Results:Among the 200 ICU nurses, 67% had ICU experience of more than 5 years. About 94% were diploma candidates, 5% were graduates, and only 2% were postgraduates with a mean age of 27.5 years. All the participants were aware of the concept of focal infection theory and 93% knew about the potential complications associated with poor oral hygiene in ICU. About 95.5% of the nurses performed oral care after every shift change and used gauze soaked in chlorhexidine routinely. Nearly 76.5% of the participants stated mechanical obstruction as a main barrier toward oral care.Conclusion:A variety of oral care practices exist for ventilated patients but, the majority of nurses used chlorhexidine with gauze. They failed to adhere to the latest evidence-based practice despite ranking oral care as a high priority. They need to be educated to improve clinical outcomes thereby reducing the hospital mortality and stay in ICU.

Nursing in Intensive Care Unit: Exploring Factors Related to Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia

“…Our results con rm this, to some extent. Although many studies have shown no statistically signi cant difference between years of nursing service and prevention of VAP [21][22][23] , these studies all underscore the point that nursing training directly affects the incidence of VAP. In addition, a study highlighted the importance of new undergraduate courses and training, as well as postgraduate training, in improving nurse compliance [24] .…”

A eficácia da clorexidina como agente antimicrobiano na prevenção da pneumonia associada à ventilação mecânica (PAVM) em adultos: revisão integrativa de literatura / The efficacy of chlorhexidine as an antimicrobial agent in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in adults: an integrative literature review

“…A presença de um cirurgião-dentista na equipe multiprofissional nas UTIs é de extrema valia e importância 25,28,[39][40][41][42] . Galhardo et.…”

“…O artigo de Sreenivasan et. al 42 Além da padronização dos protocolos de cuidados orais, o treinamento e a conscientização da equipe fazem parte da estratégia de prevenção da PAVM. Assim, é a partir desse princípio que conseguiremos atingir um padrão superior de assistência e promover a segurança do paciente.…”

Contribution of Non -Technical Skills on Nurses' Performance Efficiency of Nursing Care Process in Intensive Care Units

“…Nursing care, especially in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), needs constant awareness and vigilance because the nurses provide critical care and living support for acutely unwell and vigilance because the nurses provide critical care and living support for acutely unwell and injured patients (2,3). The patients in ICUs are completely depending on care givers so that, the nurses' knowledge, attitude, and practices have an impact on the patients' recovery to a greater extent (4). Care is the reason for the existence of the nursing profession and is a global concept of nursing and the nursing process used to ensure this care (5) .…”