ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Neurocritical and Neurohospitalist Care
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2025.1579490
The Impact of Airway Management Guided by Protection Motivation Theory on the Prevention and Prognosis of Post-Stroke Pneumonia
Provisionally accepted
- Gaochun People's Hospital, Nanjing, China
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Background: Stroke remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with post-stroke pneumonia significantly impacting patient outcomes. Despite progress in stroke management, there was a lack of emphasis on targeted preventive measures for pneumonia. This study evaluates the impact of airway management guided by Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) on preventing post-stroke pneumonia.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with 100 stroke patients admitted to the general neurology ward between January and December 2023. Patients were divided into two groups based on chronological admission order: 50 received standard airway management (January-June 2023), and 50 received PMT-guided intervention (July-December 2023). The PMT group engaged in structured educational sessions (30 minutes daily for 7 days) and actionable coping strategies to enhance adherence to airway management. Outcomes assessed included incidence of post-stroke pneumonia (diagnosed by chest CT within 7 days post-admission), respiratory function, length of hospital stay, and cognitive and psychological measures.The PMT group showed a lower incidence of pneumonia (16% vs. 34%, P = 0.038) and reduced hospital stay (13.47 ± 3.86 days vs. 15.72 ± 4.36 days, P = 0.007).The absolute risk reduction was 18% with a number needed to treat (NNT) of 5.6.Improvements were noted in respiratory function, with higher forced vital capacity (2.46 ± 0.68 L vs. 2.15 ± 0.56 L, P = 0.013). Cognitive function, as measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, was enhanced (23.58 ± 4.06 vs. 21.35 ± 3.84, P = 0.006), with both groups remaining below the normal threshold of 26 points.Depression levels were reduced (PHQ-9: 12.05 ± 3.12 vs. 13.46 ± 3.56, P = 0.038).PMT-guided airway management significantly enhances post-stroke outcomes through improved respiratory function, reduced pneumonia incidence, and better cognitive and psychological well-being. Future prospective studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to validate these findings.
Keywords: Airway Management, Protection Motivation Theory, prevention, prognosis, Post-stroke pneumonia
Received: 10 Mar 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Wang, Xia, Li, Zhao, Liu and Xu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Shanshan Xu, Gaochun People's Hospital, Nanjing, China
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