NCT03672552

Using Plain Water With Oral Care to Increase Hydration for Long Term Care Residents With Disordered Swallowing

Implementing the Frazier Free Water Protocol to Improve Hydration and Quality of Life in Long Term Care Residents

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 27 (actual)
• Sponsor: Memorial University of Newfoundland · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 19 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The Frazier Free Water Protocol (FFWP) using plain, thin (unmodified) water is an accepted method to increase fluid intake and hydration in older adults with disordered swallowing and dementia.This study aims to take an interdisciplinary approach to see if the FFWP with improved oral care can be introduced in a long term care (LTC) setting comparing an intervention group with a control group receiving standard oral care, to prevent respiratory infections.

Detailed description

The investigators will recruit a convenience sample of 36 participants from a single long-term care facility. Participants will be randomly assigned into control or intervention groups. Both groups will be assessed at study onset for swallowing and oral health and continue with agreed upon diet texture and fluid modifications. The intervention group (FFWP and improved oral hygiene) will receive a dental hygienist cleaning at onset of the study and have supervised tooth brushing before thin water between meals. The control group will continue with standard oral care and offered the full dental hygienist cleaning at the end of the study. If findings indicate no difference between groups on outcome measures (eg. respiratory illness, hydration, nutrition) then the intervention is considered efficacious in long-term care residents. If improvements in outcome measures are evident for the treatment relative to the control group, then this intervention may provide opportunity for improved healthcare and cost-savings.

Conditions

• Dysphagia
• Respiratory Tract Infections

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	FFWP and Improved Oral Care	The FFWP with dental hygiene participants will have assessments for swallowing and oral health then proceed to have a dental hygienist cleaning. This intervention group will have supervised and assisted tooth brushing by nursing staff before taking plain (thin) unmodified water and between meals.

Timeline

• Start date: 2019-06-19
• Primary completion: 2019-11-30
• Completion: 2019-11-30
• First posted: 2018-09-14
• Last updated: 2020-03-03

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada