Overview
- The HAPPEN team, presenting results Monday at ESCMID Global 2026 in Munich, reported about a 60% drop in non‑ventilator hospital-acquired pneumonia.
- The stepped‑wedge randomized trial ran for 12 months across nine wards in three Australian hospitals and enrolled 8,870 patients.
- Patients received a toothbrush, toothpaste and short education, an approach that targets mouth germs linked to pneumonia.
- Oral care rose from 15.9% of patients under usual practice to 61.5% with the program, with audits showing an average of 1.5 sessions per day.
- External experts praised the large randomized design but warned effects could differ by patient mix, prompting calls to test rollout and long-term sustainment across varied wards.