Chapter 9: Patient comfort and supporting personal hygiene
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Clinical governance
Nurses should provide a high standard of care to patients, based on the best evidence available, ensuring they have the necessary skills (NMC [162]). A number of documented studies have found that nurses feel they lack knowledge and training about providing oral care (Croyère et al. [44], Gibney et al. [76], Steel [218]). Although a number of training tools are available, the provision of adequate training before and after registration requires further attention (HEE [82]).
As is the case for all procedures, a full explanation must be given to the patient and verbal consent obtained (NMC [162]). If patients refuse oral care, nurses should try to explore their reasons for refusal. If a nurse suspects that a patient lacks the capacity to understand the outcome of refusing oral care, they should follow the guidance in the most current version of the Mental Capacity Act ([129]).
