Nursing Staff and Oral Care Awareness

Aims: The aim of the present study was to raise nursing staff knowledge and awareness by way of a teaching session together with a questionnaire assessment. Methods: Trained and untrained nurses were asked to complete a questionnaire on oral care, prior to and following a teaching session to determine whether there was an awareness and understanding of common medical problems with recognised oral manifestations in patients under their care. Results: 46 nurses (31 trained; 15 untrained) completed the first questionnaire prior to the teaching session, 41 nurses (28 trained; 13 untrained) completed the second questionnaire following the teaching session. Data from the two questionnaires were compared and analysed using SPSS. Overall the results demonstrated a generalised lack of awareness in the core knowledge concerning oral care. The results highlighted areas of confusion in recognising the appropriate medication to be used for specific oral conditions as well as their potential side effects in the mouth. Most nurses were unaware of the most appropriate tools available to assess oral care on the wards. Comparison of responses from the two questionnaires indicated a marked improvement following the teaching session. Conclusions: The introduction of a questionnaire and teaching session on oral care knowledge and awareness revealed an interesting insight into nursing staff awareness and attitude to oral care on the wards. The results highlighted the importance of updating oral care teaching for nurses on the wards, which would enable nurses to provide a higher standard of oral care to patients.