BACKGROUND:
To
address poor
oral health of residents in
long-term care homes (LTCH), this study explored the process of integrating an educational
resource and a
dental hygienist on the interprofessional care team.
METHODS:
This convergent mixed-
methods study took place at a 472-
bed LTCH in Toronto,
Canada from February to August 2018.
Nurses employed at the LTCH participated in the study. During the study period, a
dental hygienist was integrated into an interprofessional LTCH team.
Nurses completed an online
eLearning module about using the
Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) when referring residents'
oral health concerns to a. Pre/post
knowledge quizzes, module
feedback and
satisfaction surveys were administered. A retrospective chart
review examined OHAT use and compared
nurse and
dental hygienist oral health assessments. Two cycles of semi-structured interviews with five
nurses explored experiences with the
eLearning module, OHAT and integration of the
dental hygienist into the team.
RESULTS:
Nurses scored well on the
knowledge quizzes and reported comfort in using the OHAT to refer oral concerns to a
dental hygienist; however, actual use was minimal.
oral health issues were under-reported by
nurses on the Resident Assessment Instrument-Minimum
Data Set (RAI-MDS); the
dental hygienist reported significantly more debris,
teeth lost and carious
teeth (all P < 0.0001).
Qualitative analysis indicated that the
nurses valued
dental hygienist integration into the team. Using
knowledge mobilisation practices, a new
oral health referral tool was developed.
CONCLUSIONS:
This study highlights the feasibility and desirability of an
oral health eLearning module, practical assessment tools and participation of a
dental hygienist on the LTCH interprofessional care team.