Oral Care for Post-Acute Inpatients: Exploring Nurses' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices in the Community Hospital Setting.

Objectives: This study investigated nurses' personal oral health behaviours, oral health knowledge, and attitudes and beliefs regarding the oral care of older adult inpatients in a community hospital. It also explored the associations between the type of nursing personnel and years of work experience with oral health attitudes and beliefs.

Background: Nurses can substantially impact inpatients' general and oral health outcomes through oral health assessments and oral care.

Methods: Nurses from a community hospital in Singapore completed a survey comprising four domains: (a) demographic characteristics and personal oral health behaviours, (b) oral health knowledge, (c) oral care practices, and (d) attitudes and beliefs toward oral care. Descriptive statistics were performed, and data were analysed with the Mann-Whitney U-test (α = 0.05).

Results: The final sample consisted of 152 participants (51 nursing assistants and 101 registered nurses), of which 62 had less than 5 years' work experience and the remainder had more than 5 years' experience. Knowledge gaps were observed in oral disease identification and implications. Most nurses perceived oral care as a high priority and believed it influenced clinical outcomes. Although nursing assistants felt they received adequate training in oral care, they were more likely than registered nurses to wait until patients developed problems before consulting a dentist.

Conclusion: There are gaps in nurses' oral health knowledge and dental referral practices for managing oral health issues in a community hospital setting. The findings underscore the importance of targeted oral health education to better integrate oral care for holistic rehabilitation of older inpatients.