Informace o publikaci

Oral Care in Patients With Invasive Airway Management in the ICU: A Prospective Observational Study

Autoři	SAIBERTOVÁ Simona ŠAFÁŘOVÁ Petra POKORNÁ Andrea
Rok publikování	2026
Druh	Recenzovaný odborný článek
Časopis / Zdroj	Critical Care Nursing Quarterly
Fakulta / Pracoviště MU	Lékařská fakulta
Citace
www	https://journals.lww.com/ccnq/abstract/2026/07000/oral_care_in_patients_with_invasive_airway.10.aspx?context=latestarticles
Doi	https://doi.org/10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000616
Popis	Original Articles Oral Care in Patients With Invasive Airway Management in the ICU A Prospective Observational Study Saibertová, Simona PhD; Šafářová, Petra MSc; Pokorná, Andrea PhD Author Information Author Affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic (Dr Saibertová, Mrs Šafářová, and Prof Pokorná). Correspondence: Andrea Pokorná, PhD, Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 3, Brno 62500, Czech Republic (apokorna@med.muni.cz). The authors would like to thank all health care professionals participating in the study. S.S.: conceptualization, design, methodology, data management, formal analysis, interpretation, supervision, writing original draft, and editing and approving the final manuscript version. P.Š.: investigation, data collection, data management, writing the original draft, and approving the final manuscript version. A.P.: interpretation, supervision, writing the original draft, and approving the final manuscript version. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper and have no conflict of interest to declare. Supplemental digital content is available for this article. Direct URL citation appears in the printed text and is provided in the HTML and PDF versions of this article on the journal’s Web site (www.cnqjournal.com). Critical Care Nursing Quarterly 49(3):p 307-319, July/September 2026. \| DOI: 10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000616 Buy SDC Abstract Plain Language Summary Intensive care unit (ICU) patients often have compromised oral health due to their overall condition and intensive treatment. Oral hygiene is a crucial nursing intervention, particularly for preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia. In the Czech Republic, intensive care is provided in standard ICUs for critically ill but relatively stable patients requiring continuous monitoring, and in anesthesiology and resuscitation units, which provide the most advanced and intensive supportive interventions for patients at immediate risk of life-threatening deterioration (such as cardiac arrest). The aim is to investigate professional and situational factors affecting the quality of oral care in ICU patients with invasive airway management. A prospective observational study was conducted over 5 months (August 2023 to January 2024) in 6 ICU units. Data were collected via participant observation of health care professionals. Statistical analysis used the chi-square test (P < .05) in SPSS 28.0. Preparation for oral care was insufficient in all areas. Personal protective equipment was used by 70% of health care professionals, 62.1% placed patients in Fowler’s position, 9.2% assessed the oral cavity, and 73.3% suctioned oral secretions before cleaning the mouth. Only 36 of 87 health care professionals (41.38%) performed dental care correctly. The most used tools were disposable foam swabs (41.38%), toothbrushes (31.03%), and suction toothbrushes (8.05%). Proper rinsing and suction were completed by 14.94%, and tongue, palate, and mucosa care were properly done by 64.37%. Oral care for ICU/critical care unit patients, particularly those with invasive airway management, remains insufficient due to limited attention to and assessment of the oral cavity. These findings are clinically relevant for nursing research and practice, as they highlight gaps in routine nursing care and emphasize the need for standardized, evidence-based oral care protocols and improved adherence to support better patient outcomes.