齲齒是現代兒童最常見的一種慢性疾病,其影響口腔健康及全身性健康,尤其住院兒童的口腔照護較一般健康兒童顯得重要。護理教育包含學校及在職教育,卻缺乏口腔照護相關主題之照護知能,且國內無針對護理人員兒童口腔照護介入之在職教育相關研究。本研究目的為探討兒童口腔保健在職教育課程對提升產兒科護理人員,於兒童口腔保健知識之成效及臨床口腔照護工作執行助益之成效。本前趨研究採類實驗性研究之單組前後測設計,以南部某區域級教學醫院的產兒科護理人員及護生共72人為研究對象,運用自擬式結構性問卷為研究工具,於在職教育課程前、後與一個月後進行研究資料蒐集。運用「兒童口腔保健知識量表」評估護理人員於在職教育前、後之知識程度改變;以「在職教育對工作執行助益程度量表」評估護理人員於在職教育後自覺研討會中所獲得的知識,對於其臨床護理工作之助益程度。結果發現護理人員於接受一小時在職教育課程立即結束及一個月後,口腔保健知識皆有進步,且在職教育對於臨床工作也有正向的助益。本研究有助於發展口腔健康照護在職教育模式,可提供未來學校護理教育及產兒科臨床護理人員在職訓練之參考。
Dental caries is a common chronic childhood disease that affects children's oral and general health. Children in hospitals require more dental care than do healthy children. Nursing education, including school curriculum and continuing education, provides insufficient information and skills related to children's oral care. Studies have yet to investigate the effects of a continuing education program on improving children's oral health care in Taiwan. This study explored the effects of providing continuing education courses on children's oral health care to obstetric and pediatric nurses; furthermore, it assessed the resulting increase in their knowledge and its practical implications for clinicians. A pre- and post-interventional design was used. In total, 72 nurses and nursing students were recruited from the obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics departments of a teaching hospital located in southern Taiwan. A self-developed structured knowledge assessment questionnaire was used to evaluate the change in knowledge levels before, after, and 1 month after the intervention. The feedback from the nurses regarding continuing education was collected using a scale for measuring continuing education's effect on their work. The findings showed an improvement in nurses' knowledge of children's oral care immediately and 1 month after they received 1 hour of continuing nursing education. Continuing education also had a positive effect on clinical nursing care practice. The findings contribute to the implementation of continuing education in children's oral health care for clinical nursing staff and can serve as a reference for school curriculum development and professional development for nursing students and nurses in obstetrics and pediatrics.