ABSTRACT
Objective:To understand the current situation of nurses′ implementation of oral care for elderly patients, so as to improve oral care practice standard and quality of oral care constantly.Methods:Using convenient sampling method, 190 nurses in the general ward of the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were selected as the research object from September to November 2020. The self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate and analyze the implementation of oral care among elderly patients.Results:A total of 190 questionnaires were collected in this survey, 84.74%(161/190) of the nurses reported that the hospital or department had oral care practice standard; The proportion of nurses who evaluated the oral status of elderly patients by the oral care assessment tool was 17.89%(34/190).Only 14.74%(28/190) and 16.84%(32/190) of the nurses could always set the expected rehabilitation goals and formulate the corresponding nursing plans for the oral problems of elderly patients, respectively. When the elderly patients had special oral problems, 26.32% (50/190) of the nurses would proactively communicate with doctors or search literature; the oral knowledge and oral hygiene habits of the elderly patients would be known to nurses accounting for 5.26% (10/190).Conclusions:Nurses′ cognition of oral care for elderly patients is at a low level on the structure, process and outcome.Relevant nursing managers still need to further improve the oral care operation norms and the training of nurses′ knowledge and skills, so as to continuously promote the oral health of elderly patients.