How Frequent Oral Care can Decrease the Incidence of Aspiration Pneumonia Within the Critical Care Setting

Within the critical care hospital setting, many patients are declared NPO, or nothing by mouth, for various reasons. Typically, these patients have had a stroke, are at risk for aspiration, or are pending an operation. In the case of stroke patients, they are often held NPO for an extended period while their ability to swallow improves to a safe level. One of the greatest risks for this patient population is the development of aspiration pneumonia, as they have a decreased ability to clear secretions from their throat and mouth. Pair that with the fact that this population is heavily care-dependent and often unable to clean their oral cavity, and a higher incidence of hospital-acquired aspiration pneumonia results. This project aims to propose a series of guidelines, screening tools, staff educational training requirements, and oral care protocols to be implemented within units that serve this patient population with the goal of reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired aspiration pneumonia infections acquired by patients that are NPO. The results will be evaluated by comparing the unit incidence rate of aspiration pneumonia before the implementation with the incidence 6 months later, as well as by having nursing staff complete a survey before and 6 months after implementation that will contain questions meant to evaluate accessibility, frequency, knowledge, and education in regards to oral care