Oral care of ICU patients : Educational video for nursing students

Abstract

Although oral health in ICUs is crucial, it is commonly disregarded in complete therapy. Poor oral hygiene in ICU patients might cause ventilator-associated pneumonia and chronic infections. Breathing in oral bacteria might cause serious respiratory difficulties. Systemic inflammation, sepsis, starvation, and dehydration may result from poor dental hygiene. The relevance of oral health on overall health requires intensive care unit (ICU) personnel to prioritize frequent oral exams and evidence-based oral hygiene regimens. This decreases hazards and improves patient outcomes.

This thesis aims to create an educational video for nursing students studying in SAMK about the assessment, intervention, and challenges to oral health care for ICU patients, with the objective of improving nursing students' competence in oral health when taking care of patients in intensive care, demonstrating effective methods and techniques to be used for oral care, and to improve the quality of care for ICU patients. The thesis begins with a thorough evaluation of the existing research on ICU oral care procedures and patient outcomes using databases like “PubMed” and “Google Scholar”. Educational film creation will be guided by evidence-based criteria from this evaluation. Next, the thesis involves making an instructional movie that shows common dental care treatments using evidence-based standards.

This thesis was completed using the waterfall methodology for project management. Careful thought helped the thesis attain its aims. Nursing students can learn ICU oral health from the video. I understand my career requires continuing training as I progress. To enhance and extend educational tools, focus on continuous refining and healthcare professional and student input is needed. Maintaining the effect of this thesis and adapting to new research and approaches to improve ICU dental care are future goals.