Oral care in ventilated intensive care unit patients: Observing nursing behavior through standardization of oral hygiene tool placement.

A quality improvement project developed between 2 intensive care units using a quasiexperimental pre- and postintervention comparison between nonstandardized placement of oral care equipment in patient rooms and standardized placement of equipment in patient rooms. Daily assessments of equipment use were compared for the control (14 days) and the intervention (15 days) periods to identify a difference in the amount of equipment used by nurses. A significant increase in equipment use by nurses was observed after implementation of the intervention. Standardized design and supply of equipment in patient rooms may help to influence desired nursing behavior related to oral care for ventilated patients.