Nursing Consult Visits: Integral to the Pre- Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Patient's Understanding of the Transplant Process

Findings & Interpretation: Changes in pre-and postintervention measurements of oral care will be evaluated to determine impact of interventions on the processes and outcomes including nurse knowledge and practice, patient knowledge and satisfaction, and utility of an OM grading scale. Discussion & Implications: There are many benefits of implementing an oral care protocol to decrease the incidence, duration, and severity of OM. The foundation for prevention and management of OM is the use of a standardized oral care protocol. The first step to prevent and manage OM is assessing for OM using an oral assessment or OM grading tool. In addition to the oral assessment, the oral care protocol should include frequent mouth rinse and teeth brushing. Patient education regarding oral care is another important aspect that must be formalized.