Team management of dysphagia in the institutional setting

The capacity to swallow effectively and safely is a basic human need, yet nearly 40% of Americans over age 60 experience dysphagia. Since the resources in acute-care hospitals often are unavailable in institutional settings, the daily involvement of nursing and the dietitian's screening and continuous assessment are critical to timely, effective dysphagia identification, referral, and management. Upon referral, the speech pathologist executes comprehensive evaluation, leading the design and implementation of a team treatment plan. Literature highlighting a sample of dysphagia screening tools and interventions, care transitions and aspiration prevention strategies is reviewed herein to guide current practice and future research.