Effect of Oral Hygiene Care on Aspiration Pneumonia Among Hospitalized Stroke Patients: A Quasi-Experimental Study With Historical Controls

This study is a quasi-experimental, non-randomized interventional study with parallel assignment using historical controls, conducted among hospitalized adult stroke patients at a tertiary care hospital. The study evaluated the effect of implementing a structured oral hygiene care protocol on the incidence of aspiration pneumonia during hospitalization. Patients admitted prior to implementation of the oral hygiene care protocol constituted the historical control group and received standard oral care practices. Patients admitted after implementation received a structured oral hygiene care bundle delivered by trained nursing staff as part of routine inpatient care. The oral hygiene intervention included regular oral cavity cleaning and toothbrushing according to a predefined protocol. The primary outcome was aspiration pneumonia diagnosed during hospitalization based on clinical features and radiologic findings. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital clinical outcomes as defined in the study protocol. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, and informed consent was obtained from participants or their legal representatives, with appropriate waivers applied for retrospective data where applicable. This study was designed to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of a low-cost, preventive intervention that may reduce aspiration-related complications among stroke patients, particularly in resource-constrained healthcare settings.