What is it about?
Provision of good oral care after stroke can be complicated by many factors. Subsequently this important aspect of risk management (for aspiration pneumonia) and of patient comfort can be neglected or poorly done. This paper outlines some of the challenges and suggestions for best practice and calls for further research in order to determine how best to improve this aspect of care.
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Why is it important?
Oral care tends to be of poor quality and delegated to the least qualified members of the caring team. Nursing staff often work in a pressured environment where other aspects of clinical care take priority. Guidelines that exist are based on weak evidence and lack detail about how best to provide oral care.
Perspectives
We hope this paper will clarify the current position and questions which must be addressed and as such, form a basis for driving work to inform clinically relevant, feasible, cost-effective, evidence-based oral care interventions to improve patient outcomes in stroke care, which are urgently needed.
Lise Sproson
NIHR Devices for Dignity MTC
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Oral care after stroke: Where are we now?, European Stroke Journal, May 2018, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/2396987318775206.
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