ABSTRACT

A STUDY ON FACTORS AFFECTING NURSES' ROLE IN ORAL HYGIENE

PRACTICE AMONG STROKE PATIENTS

A Cross-Sectional Study in Dr Soeroto Hospital, Ngawi

by
Kurnia Budi Cahyani

Oral hygiene is a procedure to clean mouth, teeth, and gums. Incapability of

stroke patients to take care themselves and to control salivary circulation may result
in bad smell of the mouth, and oral cavity infection may also occur. The role of the
nurse is, therefore, necessary in oral hygiene control of stroke patients.
This study was intended to demonstrate factors related to the nurses' role in
oral hygiene implementation among stroke patients in Dr Soeroto Hospital, Ngawi.
Cross-sectional design was used in this study, and the population was all
nurses who worked at ward I, ward III, and private rooms, Dr Soeroto Hospital,
Ngawi, who directly provide treatment to the patients. Total samples, which met the
inclusion criteria, consisted of 28 respondents. The independent variable was
knowledge and nurses' attitude in oral hygiene practice among stroke patients, and the
dependent variable was nurses' role in oral hygiene practice among those patients.
Data were collected using questionnaire and observation, with significance level of <
0.05.
Results showed that nurses' knowledge and attitude in oral hygiene practice
had no correlation with their role, with significance level of respectively 0.219 and
0.676.
It can be concluded that nurses' knowledge and attitude have no correlation
with their role in oral hygiene practice among stroke patients. Further studies should
involve more samples and better measurement to obtain results with remarkable
accuracy.

Keywords: nurses' role, oral hygiene, stroke patients