Survey on oral care of terminally ill cancer patients in our hospital

ABSTRACT

<b>Purpose:</b> Patients with end－stage cancer are prone to various problems in their oral mouth. Survey of nurses’ attitudes regarding oral care in our cancer base hospital was conducted and discussed. <b>Method:</b> 197 nurses working with terminally ill cancer patients in the hospital were involved in the questionnaire survey. <b>Results:</b> 159 nurses completed the questionnaire (81%). 153 nurses responded that oral care was necessary for end－of－life stage (96%) but only 29 nurses responded that adequate oral care was provided (18%). <b>Conclusion:</b> The results showed that the nurses acknowledged of importance of oral care at end－of－life stage but didn’t provide the adequate oral care. The survey found that requesting oral care and relief of symptoms as supportive care are lacking of cooperation with the Dentists. How to share information and work with out－of－hospital dentists will be a challenge in the future.