Educating long term care nursing staff about oral health assessment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an educational program presented to nursing staff in a long-term care (LTC) facility increased their knowledge of oral assessment of LTC patients, and to determine if the staff could successfully complete an oral assessment using a tool. Thirty-two participants, who were either nurse aides or LPNs, completed a pre-test, attended an educational program, and took a post-test. A statistically significant (p=<.001) improvement in scores were found when the pre- and post-test scores were compared. Eleven of the 32 nurse aides or LPNs completed an oral health assessment on a LTC patient using the "Oral Assessment Guide for Nursing Assistants." Nine out of the 11 staff members were able to complete the assessment after attending the educational program with at least 80% accuracy compared to the investigator's assessment.