Awareness and practice of patient's oral care among critical care nurses in a rural tertiary care hospital.

Background and aim: Oral care contributes significantly to the patients' health outcome in a critical care unit. Nurses play a vital role in maintaining good oral health. However, there remains a dearth of literature regarding oral care practices among nurses working in an Indian critical care unit. In this descriptive cross sectional study, we assessed the level of awareness and the existing practices of patients' oral care among our critical care unit (CCU) nurses. Methodology: After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee, 64 CCU nurses, having work experience of atleast 6 months in the CCU, were enrolled in this descriptive cross sectional study. A self-structured questionnaire was used to assess the awareness and practice of the nurses. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and results were expressed as percentages. Result: Of the 64 nurses enrolled in the study, there were no dropouts. It was found that 62 (96.87%) nurses provided oral care to all the CCU patients. 60 (93.7%) nurses claimed that a standard oral care protocol has been provided to them. Documentation of the oral care was carried out by 54 (84.37%) nurses. Although 50% of the nurses had been trained to provide oral care, 54 (84.37%) nurses felt the need of fresh training. 60 (93.7%) nurses preferred using toothbrush in conscious patients. Chlorhexidine was the most commonly used solution. Bleeding, extubation and biting were among the few complications that they faced during routine oral care. Conclusion: Despite working in a rural set up with limited resources available, oral care was provided by most of the nurses. Following a standard protocol and documentation of the same, has helped maintain consistency in oral care of all critical care patients. Key words: Oral health; Awareness; Critical care; Nursing; Rural. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]