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Published on: March 1, 2015
Generating Items for a Novel Bedside Dysphagia Screening Tool Post Acute Pediatric Stroke
Victoria Sherman1,2, Mahendranath Moharir3, Deryk S Beal4,5,6
1Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, 160- 500 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, M5G 1V7, Canada. Victoria.currie@mail.utoronto.ca.
Insights
Developing a bedside dysphagia screening tool for pediatric stroke is crucial. Expert consensus identified key items like face symmetry, salivary control, alertness, and choking for this essential pediatric stroke assessment.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Bedside dysphagia assessment protocols are underdeveloped for acute pediatric stroke.
- A validated screening tool is needed for early detection and intervention in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify expert-validated, feasible items for a bedside dysphagia screening tool in acute pediatric stroke.
- To inform the development of a reliable screening instrument for this population.
Main Methods:
- A two-phase study involving literature review, expert consultation, and an online survey.
- Expert consensus (I-CVI > 0.78) was used to determine item relevance and feasibility for bedside administration.
Main Results:
- Four items demonstrated excellent content validity: face symmetry (0.89), salivary control (0.95), alertness (0.89), and choking (0.84).
- A majority of surveyed speech-language pathologists supported swallowing trials, particularly with thin liquids via teaspoon or open cup.
Conclusions:
- Candidate items for a pediatric stroke dysphagia screening tool have been identified with strong content validity.
- Further research is needed to assess the psychometric properties of these items for clinical use.
Abstract:
Bedside dysphagia assessment protocols are not well developed in acute pediatric stroke unlike adults. The objective of this study was to identify items deemed relevant and feasible by expert consensus to inform the development of a bedside dysphagia screening tool for acute pediatric stroke. A two-phase study was conducted: (1) literature review and expert consultation generated a comprehensive list of dysphagia assessment items; (2) items were formatted in an online survey asking respondents opinion of relevance to acute pediatric stroke and feasibility for bedside administration by a trained health professional. The Dillman Tailored Design approach optimized response rate. Respondents were identified using the snowball method. Speech-language pathologists with > 2 years in pediatric dysphagia were invited to complete the survey. Demographic and practice variables were compared using univariate statistics. Item relevance and feasibility were made using binary or ordinal responses, combined to derive item-content validity indices (I-CVI) to guide item reduction. Items with I-CVI > 0.78 (excellent content validity) were moved forward to tool development. Of the 71 invited respondents, 57(80.3%) responded, of which 34(59.6%) were from North America. Sixty-one items were generated of which 4(6.6%) items were rated 'to keep'. These were face symmetry (I-CVI:0.89), salivary control (I-CVI:0.95), alertness (I-CVI:0.89) and choking (I-CVI:0.84). Of all respondents, 31(54.4%) endorsed swallowing trials, of which 25(80.6%) endorsed thin liquid by teaspoon (n = 17, 68%) or open cup (n = 20, 80%). We identified candidate items for bedside dysphagia screening with excellent content validity for acute pediatric stroke patients. Next steps include assessment of the psychometric value of each item in identifying dysphagia in children in the acute stage of recovery from stroke.
