Healthcare Attitudes Research Articles

Provider Perceptions about Hypertension: A Mixed Methods Study in Zambia.

Hypertension is the most significant contributor to premature death globally. As embedded providers, nurses have valuable insight on how to improve hypertension outcomes. A sequential mixed-method study was conducted in Zambia to explore provider perceptions of hypertension care and develop contextually relevant education for nurses. The Zambian and US nurse researchers interviewed 15 nurses and provided a hypertension education workshop. Thematic evaluation identified categories of infrastructure and belief & behaviors with a shared subcategory of medication. A statistically significant result was found in the health care providers knowledge and attitude toward hypertension, one of two pre and post-tests analysis (z = -2.17, p < 0.05, r = -.33) and (z = -.41, p =.67). Developing efficient and effective solutions to increase hypertension care must be made at the policy level and incorporate locally relevant information. Nurses, who have cultural and contextual expertise, are ideally situated to reach population health goals.

Healthcare professionals knowledge, attitude and practice of adverse drug reactions reporting in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) reporting and identify factors associated with ADRs reporting among healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in Tigray...

The relationship between interprofessional education and health care professional's attitudes towards teamwork and interprofessional collaborative competencies

Abstract Background The goal of interprofessional education (IPE) is to produce health care professionals who are able to collaborate effectively. Purpose This study employed a mixed method design to assess health care professional's self-reported interprofessional collaborative competencies and attitudes towards working in teams. Results The quantitative results revealed a positive correlation between self-reported attitudes towards working in teams and collaborative competencies, and a positive correlation between the type of IPE professionals completed and their ability to interact interprofessionally. The qualitative findings revealed three categories: (1) Communication, which includes two subcategories, Effective Communication and Ineffective Communication, (2) Value, and (3) Roles. Conclusion In order for health care organizations to uphold a collaborative environment, understanding the attitudes and collaborative competencies of health care professionals is a necessary first step. Additionally, understanding characteristics related to the type and amount of IPE health care professionals complete is imperative in order to design effective IPE experiences. The quantitative findings are reported here.

Validation and Reliability of Healthcare Workers' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Instrument for Uncomplicated Malaria by Rasch Measurement Model.

Background: This study assessed the validity and reliability of healthcare workers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices instrument for uncomplicated malaria (HKAPIUM) for evaluation of healthcare workers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) on uncomplicated malaria management in primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Plateau state, Nigeria. Methods: Relevant variables from literature, malaria treatment guidelines for Nigeria, and World Health Organization (WHO) were used to generate and present the items for the draft HKAPIUM scale, which was first screened by six experts before administered to 121 respondents who filled and returned immediately. The data were sorted and analyzed using Rasch measurement model (Bond & Fox software®). Results: The outcome of the initial screening showed high items content validity indices (I-CVI) (0.83–1.00) and high scale-CVI (S-CVI) {universal agreement (UA) within the experts (S-CVI/UA) (0.67–0.89) and the average CVI [S-CVI/Ave (0.94–0.98)]} for relevance, clarity, simplicity, and comprehensiveness. The Rasch analysis outputs showed good items’ reliability for the three factors (KAP) > 0.9 with high separation index values of > 2.0; however person reliability were poor (< 0.6) which were confirmed by their low separation values. Goodness of fit statistics indicated nine items not fitting the model based on the suggested fit index values of 0.6 to 1.5, and ± 2 for mean square (MNSQ) and standardized Z-score (Zstds) respectively, and 0.3 to 0.7 for “point-measure correlation coefficients” (PTMEA Corr). Deletion of misfit items resulted in the items and persons’ reliabilities falling above the minimum accepted limit of 0.6, with their separation values were all in the range of 1 and 2 which were acceptable. Similarly, fit index values for MNSQ infit and outfit, and Zstd parameters items in the new scale were all within the acceptable range of 0.6 to 1.5, and ±2 respectively, in addition to the positive PTMEA Corr as further confirmation of the items’ fitness to the model. Conclusion: The reduction of 27-items draft HKAPIUM scale to 18 items was successful with good reliability and fitness to the model.

Healthcare professionals' knowledge, attitudes, and practices on coronavirus disease in Western Uttar Pradesh.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:The ongoing coronavirus disease pandemic caused by a novel genetically-mutated strain of coronavirus has posed a tremendous challenge to healthcare professionals, worldwide. This study aimed to explore the healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to coronavirus disease in Western Uttar Pradesh and provide data to improve awareness about this disease and remove the knowledge gap, if any, by disseminating the updated information to the corona warriors.MATERIALS AND METHODS:A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the form of a structured 28-item online questionnaire using SurveyMonkey software. The qualitative data were coded numerically, and the KAP score was calculated. Pearson Chi-square test was used to study the association, among variables.RESULTS:Of 509 respondents, 296 (58.19%) were males and 213 (41.81%) were females. The median age bracket of the sample was 20–40 years. By profession, 255 (50.10%) were doctors, 167 (32.74%) were medical students, 80 (15.78%) were other healthcare workers, and a minority 7 (1.38%) were the nursing staff. Educational status covered a range from secondary (2.01%) to senior secondary (17.51%) to bachelors and equivalent (29.18%) to masters and equivalent (51.31%). The average KAP scores were 54%, and the score was highest among doctors as compared to other healthcare professionals (P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS:In light of these study findings, we conclude that healthcare professionals are aware of coronavirus disease. However, the overall KAP score regarding its clinical course, preventive strategies, and judicious use of personal protective equipment was less than expected. There is a need to address all misconceptions and empower the corona warriors with the right information through effective mass media communication and reinforcement through seminars and workshops in the medical institutes and hospitals. The healthcare professionals are a cornerstone to prevent the nosocomial and community spread of this pandemic.

Test to Protect Family and Self-A Hepatitis B Screening and Care-Linkage Initiative in the Coastal Mississippi Vietnamese Community.

Although Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders represent less than 5% of the U.S. population, they represent approximately half of all people living with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV). Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson counties are home to the largest portion of Vietnamese individuals in Mississippi, and have high prevalence rates of HBV. Most people living with HBV do not know they are infected. In 2015, Mississippi State Department of Health began a five-year initiative to implement system-level, evidence-based, community-informed strategies to address HBV in the Vietnamese population of Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson Counties of Mississippi's Gulf Coast region. Presented are results from focus groups conducted with the Vietnamese population that define health issues affecting the Vietnamese community, health care services availability, and knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding HBV and screening. Findings from the focus groups were used to develop a culturally and linguistically tailored HBV screening and care-linkage initiative for the prioritized population.

Healthcare workers' knowledge, attitude and practice of HIV postexposure prophylaxis in a South-Eastern Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: HIV postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) is an integral aspect of preventive management of HIV/AIDS. Timely provision of HIV PEP after exposures to HIV risky conditions can reduce significantly the possibility of HIV transmission. Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of HIV PEP among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a Nigerian tertiary health facility. Methods: Standardized questionnaires designed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of HIV PEP were administered to 343 HCWs randomly selected from various clinical specialties in the hospital. Their responses were coded, collated and analyzed using SPSS version 24. Simple descriptive statistics was used in the overall analysis and Chi-square statistics for bivariate analysis. Results: Twenty eight (8.2%) of the 343 HCWs had adequate knowledge of HIV PEP. The uptake of HIV PEP among the eligible HCWs was 60% and the provision of HIV PEP to eligible victims of rape was 67.9%. The general attitude on the attitude index was 93.8%. Conclusion: The study revealed a very poor level of knowledge and poor practice of HIV PEP among the HCWs. The attitude towards the HIV PEP intervention was however generally positive.

Choices and determinants of delivery location among mothers attending a primary health facility in Southern Nigeria.

The delivery locations of pregnant women contribute greatly to their birth outcome. The objectives of this study were to determine the choices and determinants of delivery locations among mothers attending a primary health centre (PHC) in southern Nigeria. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among mothers attending PHC, West Itam, Itu, Nigeria. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaire and analysed with STATA version 12.0. Level of significance was set at 0.05. A total of 185 mothers participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 27.6 ± 5.2 years. The delivery locations of last pregnancy were health facility (64.9%), traditional birth attendant's place (23.3%), respondent's residence (6.3%) and church (5.4%). The top five reasons that influenced the choice of delivery locations were distance (45.4%), cost (34.6%), skills of healthcare workers (30.3%), drug availability (27.6%) and attitude of healthcare workers (26.5%). Utilisation of healthcare facilities for delivery increased significantly with level of education and income of respondents and spouses (P < 0.05). Different non-institutionalised delivery locations were utilised by some of the respondents. Factors influencing women's choices of delivery locations included distance, cost and attitude of health workers. It is recommended that pregnant women be offered free or highly subsidised healthcare services to encourage their delivery at health facilities. Healthcare providers should endeavour to develop better relationship with clients who patronise their services. Female education should also be encouraged as this would empower them to make better choices about their health services options.

Association between health literacy with knowledge, attitude, and performance of health-care providers in applying health literacy education strategies for health education delivery.

BACKGROUND AND AIM:Recognized as one of the key elements of growth and development, education is an important strategy for successful provision of services in all social dimensions. Moreover, it is categorized among empowerment tools to achieve goals. In the field of health, health education encourages people to be healthy. This study aimed to evaluate the health literacy of health-care providers and its relationship with strategies of using health literacy in the provision of health education.MATERIALS AND METHODS:This cross-section correlational study was carried out on a group of health-care providers in Isfahan, Iran, in the second trimester of the Persian year 1397 (2018). Participants were selected by multistage sampling, for which two questionnaires of Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults and inventory of strategies of using health literacy in education were applied. The validity and reliability of the research tools were formerly approved. In addition, data analysis was performed in SPSS version 21 using Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression model.RESULTS:In total, 230 participants with a mean age of 34.32 ± 7.71 years were entered into the study, 92.9% of whom were female and 7.1% were male. The mean health literacy score of the participants was 79.60 ± 12.41. In the sections of knowledge, attitude, and performance were related to the use of health literacy education strategies, and we obtained the means 5.20 ± 1.94, 43.11 ± 4.11, and 28.96 ± 6.73, respectively. Moreover, Pearson's results were indicative of a significant relationship between health literacy of health-care providers and knowledge (r = 0.245; P < 0.05) and performance (r = 0.208. P < 0.05) regarding the use of education strategies. However, no significant association was found between health literacy of health-care providers and attitude toward the use of health literacy education strategies (r = 0.081; P = 0.225).DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:While the results showed that 75% of health-care providers had a favorable level of health literacy, and despite the proper attitude toward the use of health literacy education strategies, the knowledge and performance of the participants were estimated at < 60% in this regard. It is suggested that the potential of health-care providers in terms of achieving, processing, and perceiving health-related information and fundamental services be improved to enhance their knowledge and performance regarding the use of health literacy education strategies.

Emergency nurses’ Evidence-Based Practice attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge, skills and behaviors before an educational intervention – Baseline of a Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundEmergency nurses are expected to follow recent research findings and ensure that their practice is based on evidence. Yet, during busy work-shifts in overcrowded emergency departments, evidence-based practice (EBP) is not always implemented. AimTo describe emergency nurses’ EBP attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge, skills and behaviours at the baseline of a RCT. MethodsA baseline study as a part of a randomised, single-blind controlled multicentre intervention trial (RCT). The study population consisted of 300 emergency nurses employed in two university hospitals’ emergency departments in Finland. The total sample size (n = 80) was estimated using a simulation approach. The data were collected from voluntary emergency nurses by using four structured questionnaires. FindingsEmergency nurses’ EBP attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge and skills were above the average level, and their EBP behaviour was below the average level when measured with the other of the two sum variables measuring behaviour. A significant correlation was found between age, years since graduation, the length of working experience in health care and EBP attitudes, behaviour, knowledge and self-efficacy. Younger emergency nurses who had recently graduated and had shorter work experience showed more positive attitudes towards EBP than older counterparts. No correlation was found between gender, educational background or prior exposure to EBP and EBP attitudes, self-efficacy, knowledge, skills or behaviours. ConclusionsThis study showed that to promote emergency nurses’ use of EBP in future, tailored educational interventions on EBP are needed. This would ensure implementation of EBP in daily clinical practice for quality and effective patient care.

Healthcare workers' beliefs, attitudes and compliance with mobile phone hygiene in a main operating theatre complex

SummaryBackgroundPhone hygiene is increasingly recognized in infection prevention. We aimed to explore the beliefs, attitudes and performance of phone hygiene amongst healthcare workers (HCWs) in the major operation theatre (MOT) complex of a Singapore tertiary acute care hospital. We also monitored the impact of phone hygiene stations, introduced to improve phone hygiene.MethodsWe sent two online anonymous surveys to the Departments of Anaesthesia and MOT Nurses one month before and after we set up phone hygiene stations. Four phone hygiene stations displaying visual phone hygiene reminders and Mikrozid® sensitive wipes were set up at MOT entrances.ResultsA total of 205 and 91 HCWs responded to the first and second surveys respectively. In the first survey, 11.5% cleaned their phones daily while 9.4% never cleaned their phones. These changed to 16.9% and 3.8% respectively after the introduction of phone hygiene stations. 80.0% in the first survey said they would clean their phones more often if there were a readily accessible disinfection method in the MOT. A majority believed phones are a source of healthcare associated infection. Common reasons for not cleaning phones were ‘lack of available resources’ and ‘I don't think about it.’ Senior doctors were the least compliant to phone hygiene.ConclusionPhone hygiene is easily overlooked during our busy workday. Besides increasing awareness of phone hygiene, having a readily available disinfection method in the MOT complex is important to improve phone hygiene. We suggest HCWs clean their phones before entering and/or after leaving the MOT daily.

Acceptability of dietary or nutritional supplementation in pregnancy (ADONS) – Exploring the consumer's perspective on introducing creatine monohydrate as a pregnancy supplement

BackgroundPre-clinical studies suggest maternal dietary creatine supplementation during pregnancy could protect babies against hypoxic intrapartum events, however creatine has not been used as a supplement in pregnancy. The aim of this study was to explore pregnant women and healthcare professional's general knowledge, behaviours, and attitudes toward nutritional supplements, and their thoughts on introducing creatine as a pregnancy supplement. MethodsPregnant women (n = 42) and partners (n = 23), attending a tertiary care pregnancy service in Melbourne, Australia, participated in focus groups or semi-structured interviews. Health professionals (n = 100), completed a semi-structured online survey. Descriptive data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and qualitative data was managed using NVivo 22.0. ResultsUse of branded nutritional supplements in pregnancy was commonplace and acceptable. All primary healthcare respondents discussed supplements with their patients at first consultation. Supplements consumed corresponded closely to those recommended. Women had good general awareness of commonly recommended nutritional supplements, however, were less aware of the rationale for supplement use. This aligned with health professional's perceptions. Women would consider taking creatine if recommended by their health professional. Health professionals would require detailed safety, beneficence, and efficacy information before recommending creatine supplementation. They would also be more likely to recommend a new supplement in higher-risk pregnancies, where benefits may outweigh any perceived side-effects. ConclusionThere is high acceptance of current recommended nutritional supplements in pregnancy. Implementing creatine as a new supplement will require substantive empirical evidence and changes to clinical guidelines. Public awareness and education would also be essential to consumer acceptability of creatine.

Primary Care Practitioner Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PTCAP): A Cluster-Randomized Trial.

Rural primary care practitioners (PCPs) have a pivotal role to play in frontline pediatric mental health care, given limited options for referral and consultation. Yet they report a lack of adequate training and confidence to provide this care. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of the Practitioner Training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (PTCAP) program, which was designed to enhance PCPs' pediatric mental health care confidence. The program includes brief therapeutic skills and practice guidelines PCPs can use to address both subthreshold concerns and diagnosable conditions, themselves. The study design was a pilot, cluster-randomized, multicenter trial. Practices were randomly assigned to intervention (n practices = 7; n PCPs = 42) or to wait-list control (n practices = 6; n PCPs = 34). The intervention involved 8 hr of training in practice guidelines and brief therapeutic skills for depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and behavioral disorders with case discussion and video examples, while the control practiced as usual. A linear random-effects model controlling for clustering and baseline was carried out on the individual-level data to examine between-group differences in the primary (i.e., confidence) and secondary (i.e., attitude and knowledge) outcomes at 1-week follow-up. Findings were a statistically significant difference in the primary outcomes. Compared to the control group, the intervention group indicated significantly greater confidence in managing diagnosable conditions (d = 1.81) and general concerns (d = 1.73), as well as in making necessary referrals (d = 1.27) and obtaining consults (d = 0.74). While the intervention did not significantly impact secondary outcomes (attitudes and knowledge), regression analysis indicated that the intervention may have increased confidence, in part, by ameliorating the adverse impact of negative mental health care attitudes. PTCAP enhances PCPs' child/youth mental health care confidence in managing both general and diagnosable concerns. However, an 8-hr session focused on applying brief therapeutic skills was insufficient to significantly change attitudes and knowledge. Formal testing of PTCAP may be warranted, perhaps using more intensive training and including outcome assessments capable of determining whether increased PCP confidence translates to more effective management and better patient outcomes.

Application of the Problem Based-Fishbone Model on Reproductive System Material in SMA N 1 Dempet

Students achievement that are less than optimal indicate the students thinking skills are not maximal. To improve students thinking skills can be done in several ways among others, students further deepen the concept of material, to provide further explanation and to provide alternative solutions to problems, so that students in the future are expected to solve problems in the environment. One learning model that can improve students thinking skills is problem based learning. Problem-based learning models can encourage students ability to conduct investigations and be able to provide alternative solutions to problems. This study aims to analyze the model problem based -fishbone on reproductive system material influencing learning outcomes and the health care attitude of high school students. This study used a quasi experimental design with pretest-posttest control group design. The sample of this study was students of class XI MIPA 2 and XI MIPA 6 in SMA N 1 Dempet which were determined using purposive sampling technique. The independent variable is a model problem based-fishbone on reproductive system material. Dependent variables are student learning outcomes and student health care attitudes. How to retrieve data using test and observation sheet questions. The results of data analysis showed that student learning outcomes could increase after learning activities were completed with completeness for both classes in a row 79.54% and 90.48%, and students had good health care attitudes. Based on the results of the study it can be concluded that the application of the model problem based- fishbone influences learning outcomes and health care attitudes in high school students.

Health care workers knowledge, attitude and practice towards hospital acquired infection prevention at Dessie referral hospital, Northeast Ethiopia

Introduction: Contact of health care workers and patient at health facility lead to the transmission of pathogenic organisms to each other. Hospital acquired infection prevention is standardized guide lines contain multitude protocols needed to be implemented by health care workers to reduce hospital acquired infections.

Assessing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in Home Health Care: Perceptions and Attitudes of Nurses.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore home health care nurses' attitudes, perceptions, and experiences related to routine collection and documentation of sexual orientation and gender identity data. Methods: This was a qualitative descriptive study. Twenty-four nurses from a large home health care agency in the New York metropolitan area were interviewed between November 2014 and December 2015. Results: Three broad categories of themes emerged from the content analysis: (1) current practices that relate to or influence the assessment of sexual orientation or gender identity by home health care nurses, (2) attitudes and perceptions regarding perceived barriers and facilitators to discussing and documenting sexual orientation and gender identity, and (3) training and resources identified as helpful in preparing nurses to discuss sexual orientation and gender identity with their patients. Nurses emphasized wanting to provide everyone with the same quality of care and wanted documentation to inform the care. They felt unprepared to discuss sexual orientation or gender identity with their patients and indicated a need for training and education related to LGBT health disparities. Conclusions: Results from this study can help inform the development of training materials and resources to enable nurses to collect patients' sexual orientation and gender identity data routinely and in a sensitive and culturally competent manner.

Healthcare Workers Knowledge, Attitude, and Availability of Facilities Toward Compliance Hand Hygiene

Failure to perform good hand hygiene is considered as an major cause of Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs). From the WHO data, compliance rate of nurses hand hygiene activity at the United States is about 50%, Australia 65% while in Indonesia 47%. This study aims to determine healthcare workers knowledge, attitude, and availability of facilities toward that affect hand hygiene compliance. This research method is analytical descriptive with cross-sectional approach. The object of data collection is an healthcare workers (nurse, doctor, and pharmacy) at General Hospitalin West Java as many as 51 samples. Sample selection using stratified sampling method with research instrument in the form of questionnaire and observation sheet about knowledge and attitude to hand hygiene adopted from WHO. The results of this study that obtained in the group of nurse were 48.6% doing imperfect hand hygiene and group of doctor respectively 80.0% and pharmacy were 100.0%. In terms of nurses knowledge about hand hygiene is 59.5%, doctor80.0% and pharmacy 50.0%. In terms of attitudes about the implementation of hand hygiene, the nurses group is 48.6%, doctors respectively 40% and pharmacy 50.00% have a positive attitude. In terms of facilities is 40.5% nurses stated available, doctors 20% and pharmacy 0.00%. There was a significant relationship between hand hygiene with knowledge (p = 0,019), attitude (0.004) and hand hygiene facility (p = 0.040).&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: attitude, hand hygiene, health care, knowledge

A UK hospital survey to explore healthcare professional views and attitudes to patients incorrectly labelled as penicillin allergic: an antibiotic stewardship patient safety project

ObjectivesTo ascertain the views, beliefs and attitudes of hospital staff to incorrect penicillin allergy records in order to determine healthcare worker motivation for the implementation of a penicillin de-labelling antibiotic...

1205. Healthcare Personnel Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs Towards Infection Prevention and Control Measures for Protection from Respiratory Infections

BackgroundHealthcare personnel (HCP) knowledge and attitudes toward Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures are important determinants of practices that can protect them from acquisition of infectious diseases from patients. We aimed to describe HCP knowledge and attitudes concerning IPC measures over time in the context of a clinical trial.MethodsResPECT was a multi-center, multi-season cluster randomized clinical trial designed to compare the effectiveness of medical masks (MM) and N95 respirators (N95) for preventing acute respiratory illnesses in HCP employed in outpatient clinical settings. At the beginning of each respiratory virus season, participants completed a survey instrument to measure IPC knowledge. At the beginning and end of each season participants completed a survey to assess attitudes and beliefs about IPC measures, especially MM and N95.ResultsA pre-study and post-study survey pair was available for 88.1% of participant seasons. There were no significant differences in demographic variables or job assignment between survey respondents and nonrespondents for each participant season. Participants correctly identified 59.8% to 63.4% of IPC measures that should be used by HCP when exposed to patients with symptoms of acute respiratory illness, or at high risk of infection. There was modest improvement in the knowledge score over time among providers who participated for multiple years in the study. In the first pre-study survey of IPC attitudes and beliefs, 88.5% and 87.9% of participants identified at least one reason to avoid using either MM and N95, respectively (Figure 1). At the post-season survey, the proportion of participants reporting a reason to avoid MM fell to 39.6% (IRR for pre- vs. post-season 0.15, 95% CI 0.13–0.17) and 53.6% reported a reason to avoid N95 (IRR 0.57, 95% CI 0.51–0.66).ConclusionHCPknowledge of IPC precautions was poor, suggesting a need for better IPC education and accountability in the outpatient setting. When given incentives to comply with processes toward which they had negative attitudes at baseline, HCP realized that medical masks and N95 respirators were comfortable enough to wear for patient encounters and interfered with their work processes less than expected. DisclosuresTrish M. Perl, MD; MSc, 7–11: Advisory Board; medimmune: Research Grant.

Survey of health care personnel's attitudes toward oral hygiene in long-term care facilities in Finland.

To survey long-term residences' health care personnel's opinions and attitudes toward maintenance of older adults' daily oral hygiene. The survey was directed to the health care personnel of three long-term care facilities in Helsinki, Finland. We analyzed the survey responses focusing on opinions and attitudes toward older adults' daily oral hygiene. To measure this aspect, a scoring system was developed. When the analysis was based on two specific statements, 60% of responding members of health care personnel had a negative attitude toward older adults' oral hygiene. They tended to experience more refusals when assisting oral hygiene measures, more often experienced a lack of time, and were willing to get more training related to the task. The health care personnel of long-term care facilities considered older adults' oral health important. Members of the health care personnel who showed a negative attitude with our scoring system toward older adults' daily oral hygiene indicated in their questionnaire responses the need for additional training and additional time for the task.