Preventing severity of oral mucositis for the adult receiving in-patient chemotherapy

Abstract

Unmanaged oral mucositis increases health care cost and decreases quality of life. For the patient, it is important to establish the best practice for managing mucositis. Neglect of appropriate management leads to increased health care cost (Deeken & Weiner, 2010). Several dollars are allocated to treating infections, intubation, and total parenteral nutrition. Readmission for managing oral mucositis alone is an additional unplanned hospital stay which contributes to increased need for financial resources. Nurses need to be more active in preventing the suffering of patients with oral mucositis.