Adherence to Dysphagia Treatment Recommendations: A Conceptual Model

Area of Science:

• Speech-Language Pathology
• Health Services Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Patient adherence to treatment is crucial for managing complex health conditions like dysphagia.
• Understanding the multifactorial nature of adherence is essential for effective intervention design.
• Existing frameworks often lack specificity for dysphagia treatment adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive conceptual model of factors influencing patient adherence to dysphagia treatment.
• To create a secondary model focusing on modifiable risk factors for clinical speech-language pathologists.
• To provide a visual and testable framework for dysphagia adherence research.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of peer-reviewed guidelines for conceptual model construction.
• Identification and grouping of factors influencing dysphagia treatment adherence into conceptual domains.
• Development of two distinct models: one general adherence model and one modifiable risk factor model.

Main Results:

• A comprehensive model emerged with three categories and 14 factors: health factors, individual patient factors, and contextual factors.
• A second model identified modifiable risk factors including access, treatment type, patient perceptions, self-efficacy, health literacy, support, and provider bias.
• The models provide a structured approach to understanding the interplay of factors affecting adherence.

Conclusions:

• The conceptual models offer a valuable tool for clinicians and researchers to identify and investigate drivers of dysphagia treatment adherence.
• The models are ready for clinical application and can guide hypothesis generation for future research.
• Further refinement of the models is recommended as new insights into adherence mechanisms emerge.