PMID- 37801358
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20231026
IS  - 1929-0748 (Print)
IS  - 1929-0748 (Electronic)
IS  - 1929-0748 (Linking)
VI  - 12
DP  - 2023 Oct 6
TI  - Assessment of the SmartJournal Intervention for Improved Oral Care in Nursing 
      Homes: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.
PG  - e46926
LID - 10.2196/46926 [doi]
LID - e46926
AB  - BACKGROUND: Poor oral health is common in nursing home residents, and health care 
      professionals report numerous barriers when it comes to the provision of oral 
      care for care-dependent older adults, such as a lack of oral health knowledge and 
      skills, care-resistant behaviors in residents, lack of adequate oral care 
      routines, insufficient systems for documentation of issues related to oral 
      health, a high workload, and unclear responsibilities. An intervention, 
      SmartJournal, has been developed to assist health personnel in preserving older 
      patients' oral health. SmartJournal is a digital tool with three components: (1) 
      documentation of oral hygiene routines; (2) monthly oral health assessment; and 
      (3) education on geriatric oral care. An updated framework for research on 
      complex interventions has been used to guide the various phases in the 
      development of this intervention. This study focuses on the evaluation phase. 
      OBJECTIVE: We aim to assess (1) the effectiveness of SmartJournal use in 
      enhancing nursing home caregivers' capability, opportunity, motivation, and 
      routines related to oral care; and (2) whether SmartJournal use results in 
      improved oral health for nursing home residents. METHODS: We will use a cluster 
      randomized controlled trial to assess impacts of SmartJournal use as specified 
      under study objectives. Nursing homes located in Rogaland, Norway, will be 
      recruited and randomly assigned to an intervention and a control group. The 
      intervention group will be provided with tablets containing SmartJournal and 
      support from research staff, while the control group will continue with existing 
      oral care routines. Both groups will receive oral hygiene packages. The 
      intervention will last for 12 weeks. Measurements will be performed in both 
      groups at baseline, 3 months, and 9 months and include (1) a survey assessing 
      caregivers' capability, opportunity, motivation, and routines related to oral 
      care; and (2) assessment of oral health status in residents using mucosal-plaque 
      score as a primary outcome measure. Analyses will include descriptive statistics 
      and statistical techniques to look for changes and differences in the study 
      variables within and between the intervention and control groups throughout the 
      study period. Associations between study variables will also be investigated. 
      RESULTS: Recruitment of nursing homes for the intervention and control groups was 
      completed in February 2023. Recruitment of individual participants (ie, nursing 
      home residents and caregivers) is ongoing, and baseline measurements are being 
      performed consecutively. Results are expected to be ready for analyses in fall 
      2024. CONCLUSIONS: We aim to assess the effects of SmartJournal use on oral care 
      and oral health in nursing homes. Results from this work may inform further 
      development and implementation of SmartJournal and similar digital tools aiming 
      to enhance health care services offered to care-dependent people. Finally, 
      SmartJournal may have potential as a learning tool in educational programs for 
      nurses and other health care professionals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: 
      ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05724043; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05724043. 
      INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/46926.
CI  - (c)Elisabeth Lind Melbye, Vibeke Hervik Bull, Kristin Sollesvik Hidle. Originally 
      published in JMIR Research Protocols (https://www.researchprotocols.org), 
      06.10.2023.
FAU - Melbye, Elisabeth Lind
AU  - Melbye EL
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0002-1504-1644
AD  - Research Department, Oral Health Centre of Expertise Rogaland, Stavanger, Norway.
FAU - Bull, Vibeke Hervik
AU  - Bull VH
AUID- ORCID: 0000-0003-1572-9243
AD  - Research Department, Oral Health Centre of Expertise Rogaland, Stavanger, Norway.
FAU - Hidle, Kristin Sollesvik
AU  - Hidle KS
AUID- ORCID: 0009-0008-3018-1013
AD  - Research Department, Oral Health Centre of Expertise Rogaland, Stavanger, Norway.
LA  - eng
SI  - ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT05724043
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20231006
PL  - Canada
TA  - JMIR Res Protoc
JT  - JMIR research protocols
JID - 101599504
PMC - PMC10589829
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - cluster randomized controlled trial
OT  - digital tool
OT  - gerodontology
OT  - intervention
OT  - nursing homes
OT  - oral health
COIS- Conflicts of Interest: None declared.
EDAT- 2023/10/06 12:43
MHDA- 2023/10/06 12:44
PMCR- 2023/10/06
CRDT- 2023/10/06 11:54
PHST- 2023/03/13 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/09/08 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/09/06 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2023/10/06 12:44 [medline]
PHST- 2023/10/06 12:43 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/10/06 11:54 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/10/06 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - v12i1e46926 [pii]
AID - 10.2196/46926 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Oct 6;12:e46926. doi: 10.2196/46926.