A Multidisciplinary Approach to Increase Dysphagia Compliance in Stroke Patients

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Dysphagia compliance is crucial for stroke center designation and patient outcomes.
• Gaps in stroke care, including medication documentation, negatively impact patient confidence and facility choice.
• Multidisciplinary collaboration is essential for managing stroke patient care complexities and maintaining standards.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify causes of dysphagia-related issues in a hospital setting.
• Evaluate existing multidisciplinary workflows and identify barriers to effective dysphagia management.
• Develop and implement strategies to improve dysphagia compliance.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team utilized the Swiss cheese model to analyze compliance issues.
• Interviews with various healthcare professionals identified discipline-specific barriers.
• Interventions included standardizing medication orders, enhancing electronic health record visibility, and aligning documentation.

Main Results:

• Dysphagia compliance increased by 9.6% (P = .001) following the intervention.
• Key outcomes included improved nursing charting, revised medication conversion orders, and optimized medication route management.
• Enhanced electronic health record functionality and aligned speech-language pathologist documentation were achieved.

Conclusions:

• A collaborative, multidisciplinary strategy effectively improved dysphagia compliance post-stroke.
• The implemented changes contributed to successful stroke center recertification and quality awards.
• Optimizing workflows and communication is vital for sustained high-quality stroke care.