Abstract
ObjectiveTo explore the impact of a supervised implementation of an oral healthcare protocol, in addition to education, on nurses' and nurses' aides' oral health-related knowledge and attitude.
Materials and methodsA random sample of 12 nursing homes, accommodating a total of 120-150 residents, was obtained using stratified cluster sampling with replacement. The intervention included the implementation of an oral healthcare protocol and three different educational stages. One of theinvestigators supervised the implementation process, supported by a dental hygienist. A 34-item questionnaire was developed and validated to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of nurses andnurses' aides at baseline and 6months after the start of the intervention. Linear mixed-model analyses were performed to explore differences in knowledge and attitude at 6months after implementation.
ResultsAt baseline, no significant differences were observed between the intervention and the control group for both knowledge (p=0.42) and attitude (p=0.37). Six months after the start of the intervention, significant differences were found between the intervention and the control group for the variable knowledge in favour of the intervention group (p
ConclusionThe supervised implementation of an oral healthcare protocol significantly increased the knowledge of nurses and nurses' aides. In contrast, no significant improvements could be demonstrated in attitude.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 275–286 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Gerodontology |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 2 |
Early online date | 26 Nov 2014 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jun 2016 |
Keywords
- oral health
- nursing homes
- knowledge
- attitude
- gerodontology
- education
- RESIDENTS
- IMPLEMENTATION
- FACILITIES
- EDUCATION