Delegating fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing to speech therapists: Feedback from 20 months' experience

In France, speech therapists are not authorized to perform fiberoptic endoscopic or other instrumental evaluations of swallowing to detect silent penetration or aspiration and to guide rehabilitation. Even so, regulations allow local cooperation protocols to be set up.

To assess the feasibility of the first interprofessional cooperation protocol for fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing by speech therapists in hospitalized patients.

Between April 2023 and November 2024, 100 patients from various departments in our hospital underwent bedside evaluation of swallowing by a speech therapist, including functional fiberoptic endoscopy.

There were no severe adverse effects and no additional discomfort associated with fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing performed by a speech therapist as compared to head-and-neck surgery residents (95% CI, 0.114-2.922; P>0.05). After checking the assessment report, the delegating ENT physicians did not alter the speech therapist's recommendations.

This first interprofessional cooperation protocol between ENT specialists and speech therapists for fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing in France contributed to management of hospital patients with swallowing disorder, without adverse effects.