Hôpital Glengarry Memorial Hospital in Alexandria is piloting an oral care protocol for stroke patients.
The evidence-informed initiative was developed by The Ottawa Hospital and supported through The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization. The program is now being introduced across HGMH’s inpatient medicine and rehabilitation units as part of a regional quality improvement effort.
“This work reflects the commitment of our teams to advancing evidence-informed care in a way that directly benefits patients,” said Robert Alldred-Hughes, President and CEO of HGMH. “By standardizing oral and denture care practices, we’re improving patient safety, supporting recovery, and ensuring care is delivered with dignity and consistency.”
The new protocol introduces routine oral assessments, standardized oral hygiene and denture care practices, and targeted staff education to support patients with swallowing difficulties.
“At the clinical level, this is about bringing best practice into everyday care,” said Rachel Romany. “Our teams are building the knowledge and confidence to deliver oral care safely and consistently, which has a direct impact on patient outcomes.”
Implementation at HGMH has included staff eLearning, knowledge validation, and hands-on training. Three staff members also attended specialized training earlier this year with a dentist and stroke speech-language pathologist from The Ottawa Hospital and are now helping provide bedside education for frontline teams.
HGMH is one of the only small hospitals in Eastern Ontario participating in the pilot project. The hospital will help provide feedback on the program as it is evaluated over the coming months to measure its impact on patient outcomes and care practices, with the potential for broader implementation in the future.
