Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Centre of Population Oral Health and Clinical Prevention Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia.
Int J Older People Nurs. 2024 Nov;19(6):e12656. doi: 10.1111/opn.12656.
Oral care is one of the most neglected nursing practices owing to a lack of training, standard nursing oral care guidelines and low confidence and skills. There is little evidence to inform the development of oral care training and guidelines, which ideally should be done in collaboration with oral health professionals. Further, there is a lack of research, particularly in New Zealand, with nursing staff caring for care-dependent older people, including those ageing in their own homes. This pilot study aimed to determine the impact of oral care training on nursing staff knowledge, attitudes and confidence in supporting community-dwelling older peoples' oral care.
Mixed methods design comprising delivery of an oral healthcare and assessment training intervention by a team comprising nursing and oral health professionals, pre- and post-intervention questionnaires (N = 14) and a post-intervention focus group with community-based nursing staff (N = 5).
Staff knowledge significantly improved (p = 0.046) following interprofessional collaborative training, but attitude and confidence scores did not (p = 0.127), although focus group responses suggested that participants' confidence was heightened. Participants expressed the need to implement oral care practices to benefit clients' health, clarify roles and identify oral care as a core competency. They sought to make individual- and organisational-level practice changes accordingly.
Oral care training based on interprofessional collaboration and education enhances nursing staff knowledge but not their confidence in oral care provision. Ongoing, hands-on practical training for nursing staff in collaboration with oral health professionals has the potential to advance nursing oral-care practice and improve care-dependent older peoples' oral care.
Oral care training and education with oral health professionals is effective to enhance nursing staff knowledge and awareness in oral health care. However, transforming knowledge into nursing oral care practice requires hands on practical training and ongoing collaboration with oral health professionals to improve care-dependent older people's oral health care.
由于缺乏培训、标准的护理口腔保健指南以及信心和技能不足，口腔护理是最被忽视的护理实践之一。几乎没有证据可以为口腔护理培训和指南的制定提供信息，而这些指南的制定最好是与口腔健康专业人员合作进行。此外，由于缺乏研究，尤其是在新西兰，护理人员在照顾依赖护理的老年人，包括在自己家中的老年人时，情况尤其如此。这项试点研究旨在确定口腔保健培训对护理人员在支持社区居住的老年人口腔保健方面的知识、态度和信心的影响。
采用混合方法设计，由护理和口腔健康专业人员组成的团队提供口腔保健和评估培训干预措施，在干预前后进行问卷调查（N=14），并对社区护理人员进行干预后焦点小组讨论（N=5）。
在进行了跨专业合作培训后，员工的知识显著提高（p=0.046），但态度和信心得分没有提高（p=0.127），尽管焦点小组的回应表明参与者的信心有所提高。参与者表示需要实施口腔保健措施以有益于客户的健康，明确角色，并将口腔保健确定为核心能力。他们希望相应地在个人和组织层面进行实践变革。
基于跨专业合作和教育的口腔护理培训提高了护理人员的知识，但并没有提高他们在口腔护理方面的信心。与口腔健康专业人员合作，为护理人员提供持续的实践培训，有可能提高护理人员的口腔护理实践，并改善依赖护理的老年人的口腔护理。
与口腔健康专业人员一起进行口腔护理培训和教育，可有效提高护理人员在口腔保健方面的知识和意识。然而，要将知识转化为护理口腔护理实践，需要与口腔健康专业人员进行实际的实践培训和持续的合作，以改善依赖护理的老年人的口腔健康护理。
