Good in Providing Oral Care, but we Could be Better—Nursing Staff Identification of Improvement Areas in Oral Care

Abstract

Introduction Oral care to older people in short-term care units is a complex and challenging everyday practice for nursing staff. Oral care research and knowledge about prerequisites and obstacles is extensive. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how nursing staff in short-term care units describe their satisfaction about provided oral care in order to maintain older people's oral health. Objective The purpose of this study was to describe how nursing staff perceive their satisfaction of oral care provided for older people in short-term care units and to identify oral care improvements. Methods This study reports on the results of two open-ended questions that were part of a larger study. Informants ( n = 54) were nursing staff working in the involved short-term care units in municipalities from both densely and sparsely populated regions in central and northern Sweden. The answers to the open-ended questions were analyzed using content analysis. Results The analysis yielded one main category; “ Working together to improve satisfaction with older people's oral care” and four subcategories: “ Older people's oral health,” “ Consideration and respect for the older person's autonomy,” “ Having access to adequate products,” and “ Working together in the same direction.” Conclusion Identification of older people's oral health problems together with adequate nursing intervention will increase older people's health outcomes and quality of life. However, regardless of work role, the nursing staff might have difficulty changing their behavior or transforming intentions into actions. Oral care is a complicated and proactive practice that requires nursing staff's attention as well as both educational and organizational initiatives. Working in a supportive and collaborative relationship provides prerequisites for optimal oral care in short-term care units.

A registry study of oral health problems and preventive interventions among older persons receiving municipal healthcare – PROSENIOR

“…Moreover, educational interventions for nurses and assistant nurses in community care are vital in order to identify and act on oral health among older persons. Indeed, a wish for education about preventive oral health care has been raised by nursing staff and managers in nursing homes (Neziraj, Andersson, et al, 2021), which is in line with another recent study in which nursing staff expressed a need for more education and training in oral care despite the fact that the nursing staff reported being good at identifying oral health problems among older persons (Andersson & Persenius, 2021). Griffiths et al (2021) developed an intervention integrating science and practice using a participatory research design for situations when different professionals are involved.…”