191 - Attitudes and Perceptions of Pediatric Nurses on the Oral Health of Hospitalized Children

Authors: Shira Berger, DMD, Alice Lee, DDS, and Soo Yoo, DDS

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes and perceptions of pediatric inpatient nurses at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) on the oral health of their patients. The secondary objective of this study was to identify obstacles that nurses face in providing oral health care to inpatient children and to assess if nurses utilize the pediatric dental residents and clinics affiliated with the hospital to provide optimal oral health care to hospitalized patients.

Methods: An invitation to participate in an online survey regarding attitudes and perceptions towards oral health, as well as the level of oral health care that is provided was sent via email to inpatient pediatric nurses at the CHAM. Descriptive statistics, frequencies (%) for discrete and nominal variables were employed to summarize participants’ selected characteristics. Overall attitude score was summarized as median and interquartile range (IQR). An exploratory analysis assessing association between experience, practice area and total scores was carried out using a nonparametric approach.

Results: 57 out of 225 responses were received for a response rate of 25.33%. Of these, 45 surveys were fully completed and included in the analysis. The results of this study show that while the majority of nurses agree that it is the nurses’ responsibility to assess oral health and provide oral hygiene care, this is not reflected in practice. Overall, the nurses reported a positive attitude, as reflected by the median attitude score of 70%, with no difference in score by primary department of work or years of work experience. Barriers to incorporating oral assessments and care in regular nursing practice include time and workload, behavioral noncompliance, and lack of education.

Conclusion: Nurses have a positive attitude towards oral health care, but the practice levels are not reflective of that attitude. Barriers identified need to be addressed in order to provide the optimal level of oral care for each patient. The dental and nursing departments can engage in interprofessional collaborative efforts to improve the oral status of hospitalized children through further education and training, as well as the development of oral healthcare guidelines.