Noguchi Kyoko, Ochiai Ryota, Akase Tomoko, Nishiyama Kazuhiko, Watabe Setsuko
Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Shonan University of Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Department of Nursing, Graduate School of Medicine, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 2;19(12):e0313817. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0313817. eCollection 2024.
Among older adults in Japan, those requiring long-term care who use visiting nursing services have particularly poor oral health. Given the importance of oral health, this study aims to evaluate the feasibility of oral health improvement interventions for such older adult patients using visiting nursing services. This study was a single-arm pilot study. The participants were those who provide oral care to older adults who use visiting nursing services, whether the patients themselves or their family members. Participants implemented oral care appropriate to the patient's oral environment at least once a day for four weeks. Feasibility assessment consisted of the recruitment, completion, and compliance rates. Changes in the oral environment were measured using the Oral Health Assessment Tool-Japanese (OHAT-J), and changes in scores were assessed over the study period. The study was conducted across three visiting nursing stations, with 52 participants (a recruitment rate of 73.2%). Of these, 42 participants completed the final questionnaire (a completion rate of 80.8%). The compliance rate was 64.3%. The mean OHAT-J score was 4.5 (SD 2.3) pre-intervention, 3.7 (SD 2.0) at one week post-intervention, and 3.6 (SD 2.2) at four weeks post-intervention (p < 0.001), indicating a significant positive trend. The feasibility of this intervention was generally satisfactory, and the results showed that the oral environment was improved. Future studies with a larger scale and higher level of evidence should be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.
在日本的老年人中，使用上门护理服务的长期护理需求者口腔健康状况尤其不佳。鉴于口腔健康的重要性，本研究旨在评估针对此类使用上门护理服务的老年患者进行口腔健康改善干预措施的可行性。本研究为单臂试点研究。参与者为那些为使用上门护理服务的老年人提供口腔护理的人，无论是患者本人还是其家庭成员。参与者针对患者的口腔环境每天至少进行一次口腔护理，为期四周。可行性评估包括招募率、完成率和依从率。使用日本口腔健康评估工具（OHAT-J）测量口腔环境的变化，并在研究期间评估得分变化。该研究在三个上门护理站进行，有52名参与者（招募率为73.2%）。其中，42名参与者完成了最终问卷（完成率为80.8%）。依从率为64.3%。干预前OHAT-J平均得分为4.5（标准差2.3），干预后一周为3.7（标准差2.0），干预后四周为3.6（标准差2.2）（p<0.001），表明有显著的积极趋势。该干预措施的可行性总体令人满意，结果显示口腔环境得到了改善。应开展规模更大、证据水平更高的未来研究，以评估该干预措施的有效性。
