Full title
Mouth cAre to Prevent Pneumonia in older people Study (MAPPS): A feasibility study
Background
Hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP) is the most common healthcare associated infection in Europe.
HAP occurs because certain bacteria start to live in the mouth when patients become unwell and it travels to the lungs. Patients with HAP stay on average an extra 12 days in hospital which is unpleasant for patients and costly for the NHS.
Research suggests frequent mouth care might prevent pneumonia whilst in hospital. However, the evidence is not strong enough to make changes to clinical care.
A large trial is needed, but some initial work needs to be done to guide successful design and delivery.
What we are doing
MAPPS is a feasibility study. It aims to understand how best to implement a mouth care intervention in a real world ward based setting. It will also investigate how to collect outcomes for a future larger study.
We will work with clinical teams to understand current mouth care, provide mouth care training and learn how best to implement the intervention into routine clinical practice.
Patients in the study will receive three times a day mouth care, brushing with an antiseptic mouthwash and recorded on paperwork by trained healthcare assistants. Interviews will be held with staff and patients to record experiences of delivering and receiving mouth care.
Chief investigator
Dr Victoria Ewan
Sponsor
South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Funder
NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB)
Current status
Recruiting