None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Dry mouth and the sensation of thirst are common and significant symptoms experienced by people with advanced illness. Dry mouth can be a distressing symptom, and it can interfere with talking and eating. The cause of dry mouth is often multi-factorial and includes the administration of medications which dry out oral secretions. The current management strategies for alleviating the symptom of dry mouth are limited and lack a strong evidence base, particularly in the palliative care setting. The use of mini mint ice cubes for the relief of thirst was established as effective in significantly reducing thirst intensity and distress in critical care patients in two French intensive care units (Lemyze, Lavoisier, Temime, Granier, & Mallat, 2020). However, the mint ice cubes were not evaluated against a control group and the authors noted that further trials may be needed to confirm their findings. This intervention was identified as appropriate for the inpatient palliative care population as the ice cubes are cost-effective and easy to produce. It is also similar to the usual care already provided at the Laurel hospice (plain ice), so is likely to be acceptable to the staff implementing the care. Therefore, there is the potential for significant clinical benefit with little cost and minimal impact to current practice patterns. Demonstrating the efficacy of this intervention for palliative care patients and comparing against a control intervention will comprise a meaningful and novel contribution to the evidence base. Lemyze, Lavoisier, Temime, Granier, & Mallat. (2020). To relieve the patient’s thirst, refresh the mouth first: a pilot study using mini mint ice cubes in severely dehydrated patients. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 60(1), e82-e88
Interventions
To demonstrate the efficacy of mini mint ice cubes in relieving perceptions of thirst and dry mouth for patients receiving specialist palliative care.
The participants will be offered usual mouth care (including mouth swabs and lip balm with plain water ice cubes) or the intervention (3 mini mint ice cubes of 1cm3) mouth care by palliative care nurses for a 24 hour period as requested. They will be asked to verbally rate the intensity of their dry mouth and asked to rate the distress of the sy
To demonstrate the efficacy of mini mint ice cubes in relieving perceptions of thirst and dry mouth for patients receiving specialist palliative care. The participants will be offered usual mouth care (including mouth swabs and lip balm with plain water ice cubes) or the intervention (3 mini mint ice cubes of 1cm3) mouth care by palliative care nurses for a 24 hour period as requested. They will be asked to verbally rate the intensity of their dry mouth and asked to rate the distress of the symptom, both using a 10-point scale. After 24 hours standard mouth care, the intervention will be swapped over (in adjacent 24 hour window), and the participants will be asked to rate their dry mouth and the distress of the thirst symptom. 24 hours after finishing the intervention study, the participants will be asked their preferences in mouth care interventions.
Sponsors
Dr Peter Allcroft
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Age > 18 years admitted to Laurel Hospice, FMC. Able to report thirst intensity or distress Safe swallow and alert AKPS > 30
Exclusion criteria
Nil By Mouth Delirium using the NuDesc Score (routine collection in daily nursing assessment) Unable to provide consent for any reason Oral health conditions including oral sores, desquamation, open wound, fungating wound, thrush, and/or currently receiving treatment for oral disease where a specific oral care plan is required Patient preference for no mint flavour
Outcome results
None listed