RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Assess nurses' knowledge, attitudes and practices towards oral hygiene of dependent inpatients. METHODS: Quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire applied to 100 nurses from internal medicine wards of two hospitals in Northern Portugal, which assessed three dimensions: knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oral hygiene. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in oral care were summarized in statistical descriptions including percentages, frequencies, means, and standard deviations using SPSS version 23 for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean total knowledge score was 13.98 out of 22 and the participants' mean score of the attitudes towards oral care was 48.35 out of 60 points. All participants acknowledge the importance of oral care for inpatients, with 96% associating poor oral hygiene with systemic disease. As for practices, 90% of participants assess the need for oral care of inpatients in the first 24 h, and 61% document the result of this assessment. CONCLUSION: The results show that although participants are aware of the importance of oral care, knowledge and practices are not consistent. Concerning oral health practices, it is urgent to narrow the gap between evidence and practice and promote oral care standardization.
Assuntos
Enfermeiras e Enfermeiros , Higiene Bucal , Humanos , Pacientes Internados , Estudos Transversais , Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Competência ClínicaRESUMO
Objetivo: Valorar los conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas enfermeros en materia de higiene bucal en pacientes hospitalizados. Métodos: Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo y transversal. Los datos se recogieron mediante un cuestionario autoadministrado, aplicado a 100 enfermeras de los servicios médicos de internación de dos hospitales del norte de Portugal, que evaluó tres dimensiones: conocimientos, actitudes y prácticas en materia de higiene bucal, que se resumieron en descripciones estadísticas que incluyen porcentajes, frecuencias, medias y desviaciones estándar, utilizando para el análisis de datos SPSS versión 23. Resultados: La puntuación media de conocimiento fue de 13,98 sobre 22, y la puntuación de las actitudes de los participantes hacia la higiene bucal fue de 48,35 sobre 60 puntos. Todos los participantes reconocen la importancia del cuidado de la higiene bucal para los pacientes hospitalizados, y el 96% asocian la falta de cuidado con la enfermedad sistémica. En cuanto a las prácticas, el 90% de los participantes evalúan la necesidad de cuidados de higiene bucal para las personas hospitalizadas en las primeras 24horas y el 61% documentan el resultado de esta evaluación. Conclusión: Los resultados muestran que, aunque los participantes son conscientes de la importancia de la salud bucal, los conocimientos y las prácticas no son consistentes. En cuanto a las prácticas de salud bucal, es urgente reducir la brecha entre la evidencia y la práctica y promover la estandarización del cuidado bucal.(AU)
Objective:Assess nurses knowledge, attitudes and practices towards oral hygiene of dependent inpatients. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire applied to 100 nurses from internal medicine wards of two hospitals in Northern Portugal, which assessed three dimensions: knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding oral hygiene. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices in oral care were summarized in statistical descriptions including percentages, frequencies, means, and standard deviations using SPSS version 23 for data analysis. Results: The mean total knowledge score was 13.98 out of 22 and the participants mean score of the attitudes towards oral care was 48.35 out of 60 points. All participants acknowledge the importance of oral care for inpatients, with 96% associating poor oral hygiene with systemic disease. As for practices, 90% of participants assess the need for oral care of inpatients in the first 24hours, and 61% document the result of this assessment. Conclusion: The results show that although participants are aware of the importance of oral care, knowledge and practices are not consistent. Concerning oral health practices, it is urgent to narrow the gap between evidence and practice and promote oral care standardization.(AU)