Survey of the cancer patient experience with oral care information

<p>"Cancer incidence continues to rise. Standard cancer management therapies are known to cause oral complications, such as mucositis (OM), that can range from mild to very severe. Severe OM can require interruption of treatment, and possibly hospitalization for IV rehydration, pain control, and nourishment. Utilizing good oral care practices during treatment has been shown effective to help limit severity and/or reduce duration of OM. Patient education on this concept, and on ideal products and self-care techniques are integral to patient implementation of supportive oral health practices. Unfortunately, patients may not receive comprehensive oral health education that promotes good oral health. In addition, many factors effect memory, and therefore affect recall and utilization of information. This means that patients may not be suitably equipped to promote oral health during therapy. This study explored patient recollection of receiving patient education on oral care topics. This study also assessed utilization of the information to assert positive modifications to oral hygiene practices. Convenience sample (N=75) data was collected from a cancer center. Z-Scores (zs) at 95% confidence level were determined for respondents that made positive modifications to oral care practices, and did or did not recall receiving patient education on the corresponding oral hygiene topic. When performing comparative data analysis to evaluate positive modifications to oral care practices, no statistical significance was found for 6 of 7 survey topics. However, statistical significance did result for the mouthrinse topic (zs=2.23). Additional findings indicate that many patients did not follow oral hygiene practices that align with evidence based and dental professional guidelines"--Document.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS) in Dental Hygiene

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Dental Hygiene

Year

2013

Author dc:creator

• Mahre, Debbie

• Mouth--Care and hygiene
• Cancer--Patients--Care
• Chemotherapy--Side effects
• Radiation--Side effects
• Dentistry

Statement dc:rights

• Access is available to all users

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dc.ewu.edu/theses/110

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dc.ewu.edu:theses-1109