Our research
When you come into hospital, looking after your mouth might be the last thing you're thinking about. However, we know that what happens in your mouth can affect the rest of your body. We want to find ways that we can improve mouth care in hospital, starting with simple things like making sure you always have your dentures available and that these are kept clean. We our currently planning a treatment trial involving a medicated mouthwash to see if reducing the bugs in your mouth can prevent you from getting pneumonia (infection on your lungs) whilst you are in hospital.
Mouth care in hospital
Most people who fall over and break their hip will require an operation. This is done so that you can keep up your walking and independence afterwards. Many people who break their hip may also require a blood transfusion due to loss of blood. We are currently looking at current practice and researching ways that we can improve this. Our research includes a trial of giving an infusion of iron into your veins prior to an operation for a broken hip, to see if this can reduce the need for a blood transfusion after your operation.
Management of anaemia following a broken hip
What others have shown
Confusion or mind-clouding whilst in hospital
Sometimes when people come into hospital they can develop a confused state or clouding of the mind. This happens particularly if you are very poorly or if you have lots of things wrong with you. We call this condition "delirium", and it is, normally temporary. It can occasionally last longer, and we know that the longer it lasts the more harmful it is.
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What can be done?
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When you or a loved one are admitted to hospital, it is important to ensure that doctors and nurses are looking out for this condition. When someone develops delirium, it is important to continue to talk to them in a normal way. A calm environment with familiar items and access to a clock or calendar within eyeshot will help. The doctors and nurses should be doing all they can to treat their medical problems - keeping them well hydrated, making sure they are not constipated or in pain, and treating any infections.
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What if they already had problems with their mind?
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We know that people that have dementia or memory problems are more likely to develop delirium when they become poorly. Unfortunately, dementia may not have been diagnosed prior to the hospital admission, and delirium can make this more tricky to realise. We now know that we can use screening tools by asking relatives and carers simple questions, that can help to diagnose dementia, even in someone with delirium. This may not always be appropriate, but the important thing is to make sure that we are involving you as relatives of carers.
