Evaluation of an oral care bundle for reduction of nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia in a community hospital

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to determine the relationship between an oral-care bundle that includes use of new oral care devices, education of best practices for performing oral care, and daily audits to measure compliance with oral care best practices and the reduction of nonventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia (NV-HAP) and NV-HAP–associated sepsis and mortality outcomes. Methods: Havasu Regional Medical Center (HRMC) is a 171-bed acute-care community hospital in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The hospital inpatient units measured in this quasi-experimental study were the medical surgical telemetry ortho unit (MTSO), the intermediate care unit (IMC), and the ICU.