Halitosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Halitosis, including details on bad breath, oral hygiene, oral bacteria, treatment.

The impact of an evidence-based practice education program on the role of oral care in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Ross A, Crumpler J

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC 27157, United States. amross@wfubmc.edu <amross@wfubmc.edu>

BACKGROUND: Despite strong evidence in the literature on the role of oral care in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), nurses continue to view oral care as a comfort measure with low priority and utilise foam swabs rather than toothbrushes. Although an evidence-based oral care protocol existed and best-practice oral care tools were available, the VAP rates had not significantly decreased even though nurses reported providing oral care. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine if an evidence-based practice (EBP) educational programme would improve the quality of oral care delivered to mechanically ventilated patients; thereby, reducing the VAP rate. RESULTS: Improvement in oral health was demonstrated by a decrease in median scores on the Oral Assessment Guide (pre (11.0), post (9.0)). A t-test analysis revealed a statistically significant difference (p=0.0002). The frequency of oral care documentation also improved as demonstrated by a positive shift to the more frequent timeframes. The VAP rates have decreased by 50% following the EBP education intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of an EBP educational programme focused on patient outcome rather than a task to be performed improved the quality of oral care delivered by the nursing staff.

Published 11 May 2007 in Intensive Crit Care Nurs, 23(3): 132-6.
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