NU4 -- Oral Care Protocol to Prevent Hospital Acquired Pneumonia in an Acute Care Setting
Start Date
8-4-2022 10:30 AM
End Date
8-4-2022 12:15 PM
Location
URC Greatroom
Document Type
Event
Abstract
Background: Patients admitted to an acute healthcare setting, such as a hospital, are at increased risk for developing hospital-acquired infections. It is estimated that one in every thirty-five patients contract a hospital-acquired infection during their hospitalization. Pneumonia is a prevalent hospital-acquired infection and is often distinguished as being ventilator associated or non-ventilator associated. Due to the increased risk for mortality and high costs associated with these infections, much attention has been placed on the prevention of ventilator acquired pneumonia. To prevent ventilator acquired pneumonia, nurses must adhere to strict oral-care protocols. However, non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia often follows the same protocols although the etiology of infection differs. Aim: To answer the clinical research question, “what impact do oral hygiene protocols have on the incidence of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia?” Methods: The team of researchers completed a search in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health and Nursing Literature (CINAHL) and Nursing and Allied Health databases to identify relevant literature focused on the effects of oral care protocols and the incidence rate of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia. The team selected the search terms of “hospital acquired pneumonia or healthcare associated pneumonia”, and “oral care or mouth care or oral hygiene” and used limiters of peer-reviewed, published after 2015, and written in the English language. After the removal of duplicates a review of article titles and abstracts was completed. Articles focusing on ventilator acquired pneumonia were removed. A total of 13 peer-reviewed articles were identified that were relevant to the clinical research question. Analysis: The 13 articles were appraised to answer the clinical research question. Although the evidence was limited, the studies demonstrated a correlation among oral care protocols and reduced non-ventilator acquired pneumonia. The articles helped the researchers answer the research question and make recommendations. Results: At the conclusion of our research, it was found that strong evidence exists that the implementation of a standard oral care protocol in the acute care setting led to a dramatic decrease in the incidence of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia. Conclusion: Multiple studies have demonstrated that after the implementation of an oral care protocol, the rate of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia decreased, along with healthcare costs required to treat the disease. The research team recommends continued research on the method and timing of preventative oral-care to ensure appropriate use of resources.
Keywords
Nursing, General Health Science
NU4 -- Oral Care Protocol to Prevent Hospital Acquired Pneumonia in an Acute Care Setting
URC Greatroom
Background: Patients admitted to an acute healthcare setting, such as a hospital, are at increased risk for developing hospital-acquired infections. It is estimated that one in every thirty-five patients contract a hospital-acquired infection during their hospitalization. Pneumonia is a prevalent hospital-acquired infection and is often distinguished as being ventilator associated or non-ventilator associated. Due to the increased risk for mortality and high costs associated with these infections, much attention has been placed on the prevention of ventilator acquired pneumonia. To prevent ventilator acquired pneumonia, nurses must adhere to strict oral-care protocols. However, non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia often follows the same protocols although the etiology of infection differs. Aim: To answer the clinical research question, “what impact do oral hygiene protocols have on the incidence of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia?” Methods: The team of researchers completed a search in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health and Nursing Literature (CINAHL) and Nursing and Allied Health databases to identify relevant literature focused on the effects of oral care protocols and the incidence rate of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia. The team selected the search terms of “hospital acquired pneumonia or healthcare associated pneumonia”, and “oral care or mouth care or oral hygiene” and used limiters of peer-reviewed, published after 2015, and written in the English language. After the removal of duplicates a review of article titles and abstracts was completed. Articles focusing on ventilator acquired pneumonia were removed. A total of 13 peer-reviewed articles were identified that were relevant to the clinical research question. Analysis: The 13 articles were appraised to answer the clinical research question. Although the evidence was limited, the studies demonstrated a correlation among oral care protocols and reduced non-ventilator acquired pneumonia. The articles helped the researchers answer the research question and make recommendations. Results: At the conclusion of our research, it was found that strong evidence exists that the implementation of a standard oral care protocol in the acute care setting led to a dramatic decrease in the incidence of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia. Conclusion: Multiple studies have demonstrated that after the implementation of an oral care protocol, the rate of non-ventilator hospital acquired pneumonia decreased, along with healthcare costs required to treat the disease. The research team recommends continued research on the method and timing of preventative oral-care to ensure appropriate use of resources.