Patient Adherence to Dysphagia Recommendations: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Clinical Medicine
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Patient adherence to treatment is critical for assessing treatment efficacy and effectiveness across medical specialties.
• Dysphagia (swallowing impairment) requires specific interventions that alter daily routines, making adherence challenging.
• Poor adherence in dysphagia treatment can limit therapeutic benefits, complicate research, and compromise swallow safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review existing literature on patient adherence to dysphagia treatment.
• To identify the current state of knowledge regarding adherence rates and factors in dysphagia management.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search to identify studies reporting patient-specific adherence to dysphagia treatments.
• Analysis of 12 identified studies that tracked and reported adherence data.

Main Results:

• Average adherence rates in the reviewed studies ranged significantly, from 21.9% to 51.9%.
• Nine out of the 12 studies focused on adherence to prophylactic treatment for head and neck cancer patients.
• A substantial knowledge gap exists regarding patient adherence in dysphagia treatment research.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical need to incorporate adherence measures into dysphagia treatment study designs for accurate interpretation of results.
• Identifying factors that influence patient adherence is essential for developing strategies to improve adherence in future dysphagia trials.
• Low adherence rates highlight the importance of addressing patient engagement in dysphagia therapy to maximize treatment outcomes.