Work

Nursing practices in oral care for intensive care patients: assessment of oral care frequency and related factors

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Oral care provided to patients in intensive care units is one of the nursing interventions used to maintain oral mucosal integrity and prevent the development of problems such as ventilator-associated pneumonia, periodontal diseases, halitosis, dry mouth, cracked lips, and stomatitis. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of the frequency of oral care provided to intensive care patients and to identify the factors that affect the integrity of the oral mucous membrane. The study sample consisted of 70 patients hospitalised in the level 3 intensive care unit of a training and research hospital who met the inclusion criteria during the period. The data were collected using the Patient Descriptive Characteristics Form, the Patient Follow-Up Form, and the Intensive Care Oral Care Frequency Assessment Scale (ICOCFAS). When the ICOCFAS mean scores of the patients were compared by days, no statistically significant difference was found ( F = 0.972; p = 0.390; η² = 0.014), and their mean scores were almost the same since the first assessment. While a statistically significant difference was found between the ICOCFAS mean scores of the patients and the variables of their nutritional condition and intubation statuses ( F = 17.771 and 21.539; p < 0.001), no significant difference was found between the variables of gender, marital status, body mass index, length of stay in intensive care unit, duration of intubation, use of antibiotics, leukocyte levels and infiltration on chest radiograph ( p > 0.05). Our study indicated that enterally and parenterally fed patients had higher oral care needs than orally fed individuals, and intubated patients had more oral care needs than non-intubated patients. Assessment of the oral care frequency in the intensive care unit with valid and reliable assessment tools helps nurses to plan oral care by collecting objective data. Not applicable.

Source: BMC Nursing

DOI: 10.1186/s12912-026-05291-7

Authors: Şengül Korkmaz Bi̇nay, Papatya Karakurt, Demet Güneş, Esma Zoroğlu, Umut Devrim Bi̇nay

Institution: Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University

Language: English

Topic: Nosocomial Infections in ICU

Subfield: Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,090