Solid Medication Intake in Hospitalised Patients With Dysphagia: A Challenge for Speech and Language Pathologists?

Area of Science:

• Clinical practice
• Speech-language pathology
• Dysphagia management

Background:

• Speech and language pathologists (SLPs) are vital in managing dysphagia.
• Evaluating solid dosage forms (SDFs) is increasingly recognized as important for SLPs, particularly in post-stroke dysphagia.
• Standardized methods for assessing pill swallowing are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether and how SLPs assess patients' ability to swallow solid dosage forms (SDFs).
• To focus on the practices of SLPs in clinical settings, especially on stroke units.

Main Methods:

• An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among SLPs in German-speaking countries.
• The questionnaire targeted SLPs working in hospitals.
• Data were collected through direct outreach and social media dissemination.

Main Results:

• 108 out of 147 eligible SLPs (73.5%) evaluated SDF swallowing.
• Patients' own medications were most frequently used (63.9%) during clinical swallowing examinations.
• 92.6% of SLPs regularly provided guidance on altering SDFs, influenced by factors like retention, pharyngeal disorders, and coughing.

Conclusions:

• SLPs commonly evaluate SDF swallowing, often using the patient's own medication and preferred accompanying boluses like fruit puree and water.
• A significant majority of SLPs are involved in decisions regarding medication modification for patients with dysphagia.
• There is a need for specific evaluation and educational programs to improve the management of oral SDFs.