Development and validation of an electronic version of Sydney Swallow Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Digital Health
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Accurate assessment of oropharyngeal dysphagia (OPD) is crucial for patient management.
• The paper-based Sydney Swallow Questionnaire (SSQ) is a validated tool for detecting OPD risk.
• An electronic version (eSSQ) could streamline patient assessment and data collection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an electronic version of the SSQ (eSSQ).
• To compare the eSSQ's performance against the original paper-based SSQ.
• To assess the test-retest reliability of the eSSQ.

Main Methods:

• The paper SSQ was adapted onto the REDcap platform for digital accessibility.
• Participants (dysphagic patients and controls) completed both electronic and paper SSQ versions.
• Test-retest reliability and external validation were performed using intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC).

Main Results:

• The eSSQ demonstrated excellent agreement with the paper SSQ across all participant groups (ICC 0.96-0.97).
• Test-retest reliability of the eSSQ was also excellent (ICC 0.96).
• The study included 47 dysphagic patients, 32 controls, and 31 in an external validation cohort.

Conclusions:

• The developed eSSQ is a reliable and valid digital tool for assessing oropharyngeal dysphagia.
• The eSSQ offers potential for more efficient and accessible patient evaluations.
• This digital adaptation enhances the utility of the SSQ in clinical settings.