Current oral care practices in an acute aged care setting: An Australian metropolitan hospital perspective

To evaluate current oral care practices in an acute aged care hospital setting, and staff perceptions of the barriers and enablers to delivery of evidence-based oral care practices.

A mixed method study comprised of retrospective file audit and cross-sectional survey was conducted within a single acute aged care unit. Medical records of patients aged ≥ 65 years admitted over a 6 month period were retrospectively audited. A clinician survey was used to explore barriers to and enablers of the delivery of oral care practices using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour (COM-B) questionnaire. Result were analysed using descriptive statistics.

Patient file audits (n = 206) found 13.6% (n = 28) of patients had oral care completed, despite 23% (n = 47) of patients being recommended by a speech language pathologist to receive oral care. Staff survey respondents (n = 31) reported they do not have the physical or social opportunities to provide oral care (i.e. adequate resources, time, and social support), however, they were motivated and reported they have the required knowledge and skills to provide oral care.

There is a need for implementation strategies to enable an interprofessional response to improve the delivery of evidence-based oral care practices and optimise patient outcomes.