Oral intensity: reducing non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia in care-dependent, neurologically impaired patients.

Introduction: The purpose of this point-of-care study was to test the efficacy of a prevention-based oral care protocol in reducing non-ventilator-associated hospital-acquired pneumonia in a neurosurgical population outside the critical care environment. The researchers hypothesized that an enhanced oral care protocol would decrease the incidence of pneumonia.

Methods: This quasi-experimental, comparative study took place on an acute neurosurgical unit at a tertiary care trauma hospital in Western Canada.