RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Nursing interventions in oral hygiene have been shown to be important for health promotion and illness prevention. This medical center advanced a registered nurse (RN)-led oral health initiative to introduce and standardize oral care practices. PROBLEM: To examine the impact of the oral health initiative, we conducted an evaluation of documentation trends among RNs and the effect of the initiative on patients' oral health during hospitalization. APPROACH: We used a single-group pretest-posttest design and drew a sample of all inpatients who were admitted to the medical center from October 1 through December 31, 2017. OUTCOMES: Of the 13 303 patients admitted, the empirical evidence demonstrates 99.5% compliance in documentation at admission and discharge. Among 13 237 patients, there was improvement in patients' oral health during hospitalization (-0.03, P < .001), especially those initially assessed with moderate or severe dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS: The oral health initiative standardized assessment and care practices that have improved outcomes in patients' oral hygiene.
