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Table 1 Dysphagia assessment

From: To adopt, to adapt, or to contextualise? The big question in clinical practice guideline development

Context considerations

Minimum standard care of practice

Additional standard care of practice

Diagnostic tools

Water swallow test

Standardized clinical bedside assessment

Pulse oximetry

Videofluroscopy-modified barium swallow test (VMBS) and/or fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES)

Equipment

Water, food of different consistencies (pudding and buscuits-deleted), spoon, cup, stethoscope (see Appendix 11)

Pulse oximeter

Videofluroscopy machine

Fiberoptic endoscopy machine

Workforce

Physiatrist

Occupational therapist

Nurse

Radiologist

Otorlaryngologist

Speech pathologist

Resources

Protocol for water swallow test (Appendices 8 and 9)

Protocol for standardized clinical bedside assessment (Appendix 10)

Protocol for barium swallow and FEES when it is considered to be pathological

Training

Training needed for water swallow and standardized clinical bedside assessment

Specialist training in tertiary hospital

When is it done

As screening tool for aspiration

Before nasogastric tube is removed or anything to be given by mouth

Done after a failed water swallow test, or presence of signs and symptoms of aspiration

  1. Context points of minimum and additional standard care of practice for dysphagia, Table 64) [28])
  2. Used with permission from PARM