The prevalance of oral mucositis inpatient oncology clinic and the effecting factors

Objective: The study was carried out as a descriptive study to determine oral mucositis (OM) development status, oral care practices and the level of patients' use in the patients who were admitted to the Medical Oncology Clinic of Antalya Education and Research Hospital, Health Sciences University. Method: The study was conducted in the medical oncology clinic between February 2018 and August 2018 with 387 inpatients. Data were collected with "Patient Information Form" and "Daily Patient Evaluation Form". Data were analyzed using SPSS software; findings were indicated by numbers and percentage. Results: The mean day of hospitalization of the patients was 8 ± 6 (3-47). In 22.3% of the patients, OM was determined while 10.33% of the patients developed OM. It was stated that 59.7% of the patients had previously undergone OM. 57.9% of patients make oral care regularly. While the rate of oral care was higher in the patients without OM, it was found that the rate of the nurses doing OM and those who developed OM were higher. The rate of non-OM patients who did not receive chemotherapy education was 90.9% and 86.3% in patients with and without OM during their hospitalization. No statistically significant difference was observed between the groups (p = 0,172). The rate of regular OM treatment was higher in patients without OM (68.8%). Conclusion: It was determined that the number of hospitalization days increased in patients with OM, and patients with high OM index had higher intensive care and mortality rates. It was evaluated that the nurses performed the application as the OM index increased in inpatients, and the practices related to the OM prevention were irregular when the relatives of the patients took over. Key words: Oral mucositis, Cancer, Oncology nursing