Evaluation of Nurses’ Attitude toward the Provision of Oral Hygiene Care to Hospitalized Patients at Two Private Hospitals in South India

Abstract

Several hospitalized patients with complex medical issues depend on nursing staff for their daily health care due to several functional limitations. This study investigates the Oral Hygiene Care (OHC) activities and attitudes of nurses toward hospitalized patients. Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional survey was conducted at two private hospitals using a self‑administered, structured questionnaire distributed to 585 nursing staff. Data were analyzed through percentages. Results: About 85.70% of the nurses ranked OHC as important; among them, 74.00% ranked as important to extremely important. Very few (2.40%) rated providing OHC to be an unpleasant task and the majority (41.80%) felt lack or proper training is one of the reasons for providing OHC satisfactorily. Conclusions: Nurses experienced significant behavioral and physical difficulties while providing OHC, but still found it important. Therefore, training programs are needed for nurses to improve OHC to hospitalized patients.