Oropharyngeal dysphagia assessment and treatment efficacy: setting the record straight (response to Campbell-Taylor)

In September 2008, an article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association criticizing current dysphagia assessment and management practices performed by speech-language pathologists in Long-Term Care (LTC) settings. In the same issue, an editorial invited dialogue on the points raised by Campbell-Taylor. We are responding to this call for dialogue. We find Campbell-Taylor's interpretation of the literature to be incomplete and one-sided, leading to misleading and pessimistic conclusions. We offer a complementary perspective to balance this discussion on the 4 specific questions raised: (1) Is the use of videofluoroscopy warranted for evaluating dysphagia in the LTC population? (2) How effective are thickened liquids and other interventions for preventing aspiration and do they contribute to reduction of morbidity? (3) Can aspiration be prevented and is its prevention important? and (4) Is there sufficient evidence to justify dysphagia intervention by speech language pathologists?