Best Evidence Summary for Integrated Care Management of Dysphagia in Hospitalized Older Adults

To evaluate and summarize the best available evidence on integrated care management of dysphagia in hospitalized older adults, providing an evidence-based reference for clinical practice.

Evidence was systematically retrieved from Chinese and international databases, clinical practice guideline repositories, and professional association websites. Eligible publications included best practice recommendations, evidence summaries, clinical practice guidelines, expert consensus statements, and systematic reviews published between January 1, 2015, and January 31, 2026. Two trained researchers independently appraised the methodological quality of included literature using standardized quality assessment tools, graded the evidence using the JBI evidence pre-grading system, and synthesized the extracted findings.

A total of 28 documents were included, comprising 3 best practice recommendations, 9 evidence summaries, 3 clinical guidelines, 10 expert consensus statements, and 3 systematic reviews. From this synthesis, 43 recommendations were derived across seven key domains: (I) establishment of multidisciplinary teams, (II) dysphagia screening, (III) comprehensive assessment, (IV) integrated care management, (V) rehabilitation interventions, (VI) prevention and management of complications, and (VII) discharge planning and follow-up.

This study provides a comprehensive summary of best evidence for integrated care management of dysphagia in hospitalized older adults, offering a robust evidence base to inform standardized clinical pathways and practice guidelines.