Nurses are well positioned to provide oral care to hospitalized children. This study explores pediatric hospital nurses’ knowledge, attitudes, practices and perceived barriers to providing oral care.
Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, previously validated surveys were adapted based on input from key stakeholders and administered to all nurses and staff providing patient care on inpatient units (
The survey response rate was 40% (
Despite nurses valuing the importance of oral care and their willingness to learn, oral care practices are lacking, and barriers exist. Future investigation is required to further explore the findings related to barriers to care and lack of practice. These results and future findings will be used to guide institutional oral care policy and education.