Oral health care and smoking cessation practices of interprofessional home care providers for their patients with HIV

J Interprof Care. 2012 Jul;26(4):339-40. doi: 10.3109/13561820.2012.676107. Epub 2012 Apr 17.

Abstract

The need for oral health services among patients with HIV, especially those in advanced stages of disease and those who smoke, has been well documented. Patients receiving HIV-related home care services provide an opportunity for assessment of oral health and smoking cessation needs; however, the majority of home care providers lack formal training to provide these services, thus interprofessional collaborations may be of value. This study assessed the oral health and smoking cessation practices of a random sample of 81 HIV home care providers. Results showed very favorable attitudes toward providing these services with some differences across disciplines. More than 70% of nurses would like to receive additional training in comprehensive oral health assessment by dental professionals. The study provides evidence for the potential of expanding these services for patients with HIV through interprofessional collaboration, in particular with nurses and dentists.

MeSH terms

  • Clinical Competence
  • Dental Health Services
  • HIV Infections / complications*
  • HIV Infections / pathology
  • Health Care Surveys
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Health Services Accessibility
  • Health Services Needs and Demand
  • Health Services Research
  • Home Nursing / methods*
  • Humans
  • Interdisciplinary Communication*
  • Mouth Diseases / etiology
  • Mouth Diseases / prevention & control*
  • Oral Health*
  • Patient Care Team
  • Smoking Cessation / methods*
  • Social Work
  • United States