The journal of nursing research : JNR
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Florence Nightingale emphasized the need for nurses to honor the psychological and spiritual aspects of patients to promote patients' health. Whereas study of a public hospital in Singapore presented similar findings, few studies have explored clinical nurses' perceptions of spirituality. ⋯ This study found education to have a positive impact on participants' perception of spirituality and spiritual care. A higher education level and more spiritual care lessons or training courses were found to increase perception level. Study findings provide preliminary insights into nurses' perceptions of spirituality and spiritual care in Taiwan. Findings demonstrate an urgent need for additional education programs or training in spiritual care to improve the ability of nurses in catering to the spiritual needs of patients and guide clinical nurses when conducting spiritual care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Brushing teeth with purified water to reduce ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Oral care may decrease the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and improve oral hygiene. However, little evidence is available to guide the development of oral care protocols. The practical effect of toothbrushing on VAP development and oral health and hygiene improvement is inconclusive. ⋯ Patients (N = 53) were predominantly male (64.2%), mean age was 60.6 years old, and most had received emergency surgery (75.5%). After 7 days of toothbrushing with purified water, cumulative VAP rates were significantly lower in the experimental (17%) than in the control (71%; p <.05) group. The experimental group also had significantly better scores for oral health (p <.05) and plaque index (p <.01). CONCLUSION/IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: Findings suggest that, as an inexpensive alternative to existing protocols, toothbrushing twice daily with purified water reduces VAP and improves oral health and hygiene.