Abstract
Introduction: The purpose of this point-of-care study was
to test the efficacy of a prevention-based oral care protocol
in reducing non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired
pneumonia in a neurosurgical population outside the critical
care environment. The researchers hypothesized that an
enhanced oral care protocol would decrease the incidence of
pneumonia.
Methods: This quasi-experimental, comparative study took
place on an acute neurosurgical unit at a tertiary care trauma
hospital in Western Canada. Subjects were non-intubated, caredependent
adults with a primary diagnosis of neurologic injury/
insult, and at high risk for pneumonia. The prospective study
group comprised 34 subjects; two subjects were excluded from
the study analysis. The retrospective study group comprised 51
subjects.
Data were collected for both groups for a six-month period.
Retrospective data were collected through chart review. The
prospective group were eligible neurosurgical patients who
received the enhanced oral care protocol. Data collection
tools were developed and diagnostic criteria for hospitalacquired
pneumonia were determined. The pneumonia
rates between subjects who received standard oral care
(retrospective group) and those who received an enhanced,
prevention-based, oral care protocol (prospective group) were
compared.
Results: A statistically significant decrease in the pneumonia
rate occurred in the prospective group (p