Effect of Telenursing on Oral Health

Studies evaluating the effectiveness of oral health interventions in individuals with COPD are limited in the literature. Maintaining oral health is a crucial part of patient care. Sustainable nursing interventions are necessary from the onset of the disease to the end of life. Patient education conducted by nurses is important in improving medication adherence and preventing comorbidities. Furthermore, it is known that practices involving a multidisciplinary team approach with nurse participation reduce readmissions and hospital stays for COPD patients. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of telenursing intervention on oral health in individuals with COPD. The experimental group will receive oral health education via telenursing intervention (via video call) and daily oral health reminders. The control group will not receive education. Oral health education for the experimental group is planned to be given within 24 hours after the pre-test. The experimental group will be invited to the hospital one month after the oral health education for evaluation of oral health and quality of life related to oral health, and the control group will be invited one month after the pre-test.

The experimental group will receive oral health education via telenursing intervention (via video call) and daily oral health reminders. Oral health education for the experimental group is planned to be given within 24 hours after the pre-test. Participants will also receive reminders regarding oral hygiene, including "performing oral care at least twice a day, every day" and "rinsing their mouths with water after using an inhaler." The experimental group will be invited to the hospital one month after the oral health education for evaluation of oral health and quality of life related to oral health.

Behavioral: telenursing · Behavioral: reminders

The control group will not receive training. They will be invited to the hospital for an oral health and quality of life check one month after the initial follow-up.

The responsible researcher will provide oral health education to the experimental group via video call during the telenursing intervention. The content of the education will include oral health in adults; the consequences of poor oral hygiene; things to pay attention to in oral health; demonstration of toothbrushing technique; and coping with care-resistant behaviors. Participants' questions regarding oral health will be answered during the call. The oral health education session is planned to last approximately 20 minutes.

Participants in the experimental group will be reminded to perform oral care at least twice a day, every day, and to rinse their mouths with water after using an inhaler. They will also be reminded to schedule a face-to-face meeting one month after the education.

Plazo: pre-test and post-test (1 month)

The Oral Assessment Guide (ADR) will be used to evaluate oral health. The guide supports the creation of an oral care protocol for patients with impaired oral mucosal membranes. Scores on the guide range from 8 to 24. According to the ADR, a low score indicates good oral health, while a high score indicates negative changes in oral health. The oral mucosal membrane score will be evaluated in both pre-test and post-test. A light source and a tongue depressor (one for each participant) are planned to be used during the oral health assessment.

Plazo: pre-test and post-test (1 month)

The scale has seven sub-dimensions: 'Functional Limitation', 'Physical Pain', 'Psychological Distress', 'Physical Disability', 'Psychological Disability', 'Social Disability', and 'Handicap'. Scores obtainable from the Oral Health Impact Scale range from 0 to 56. Since all questions are in a negative form, a score close to 0 indicates good quality of life related to oral and dental health, while a score close to 56 indicates poor quality of life related to oral and dental health. A high score on the scale indicates low quality of life related to oral health.

The Effect of Telenursing Interventions on Oral Health in Individuals With COPD