PICOT: Nurse driven interventions to reduce hospital acquired infections in Oral careCourse:Instructor:Date: P-population- Elderly people in nursing care with no prior history of pneumonia before admission to nursing homes. I-intervention- oral careC-Comparison- non oral care patients O-outcome- reduced infectionT-Time frame- yearly assessment Hospital acquired infections refer to new infections that occur in a health care facility or hospital for patients admitted for other infections or diseases. Even though, there has been improvement in public health over the years, hospital acquired infections pose a challenge to nurse who need to reduce the frequency of these infections. Similarly, lack of proper oral care is a public health concern, as it often leads to increased cases of infections in hospital settings when not handled properly Pneumonia is the leading cause of death for residents in nursing homes, and hence oral hygiene is vital in preventing pneumonia (El- Sohl, 2011). Thus, the relevance of nursing interventions in improving health care is relevant to reduce mortality from hospital associated infections.The background of the problem is that a large number of the patients are admitted in the hospital as a result of diseases and infections. The situation is such that patients acquire other infections when they get admitted to the hospital. Poor oral care serves as the main cause of increased infection in hospitals. Pneumonia is the leading causes of death in nursing home which necessitates the maintenance of good oral hygiene in order to prevent pneumonia.What role do the nurses have in ensuring a hygienic environment in hospital?What precautions should nurses take when handling patients with infections?How does poor oral health contribute to infections? In nursing homes which patients are at risk for pneumonia, what are the risks associated with getting pneumonia as a result of poor oral hygiene as compared to maintaining good oral hygiene and getting infected with pneumonia? Nurses have the responsibility to facilitate a safe and clean environment in hospital settings and in nursing homes. In essence, practicing nurses follow standards in carrying out their duties, while also adhering to ethics in the profession. Similarly, nurses are expected to take precautions when taking care of patients and surgery patients are at a high risk of pneumonia infection if there is an ineffective oral care system in place. Essentially, good oral care prevents occurrence of infections, and these practices include tooth brushing and oral hygiene. However, most nurses are aware of the importance of oral hygiene, but few see tooth brushing as a viable option in oral care (Soh et al., 2012). In the case of mechanically ventilated and intubated patients, oral care is crucial among nurses as pneumonia is a high risk infection for such patients. However patient uncooperativeness in oral care is the biggest challenge facing implementation of proper oral ...