What Information Do UK Speech and Language Therapists Use When Making Oral Versus Nonoral Feeding Recommendations for Adults with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia?

The current study explored what information UK speech and language therapists (SLTs) use when recommending oral versus nonoral feeding in adults with oropharyngeal dysphagia. This study differed from previous research on this topic by including a greater number of participants; focusing on UK-based clinicians; exploring whether different information was considered dependent on whether the person with oropharyngeal dysphagia had had a stroke, had motor neurone disease, or had dementia; and investigating how often videofluoroscopy was used when making these decisions. The current study surveyed UK-based SLTs via an online questionnaire. When asked to rate the ten most important factors involved when making oral versus nonoral decisions, UK SLTs chose 9 of the 13 factors chosen by US-based SLTs in an earlier study. Furthermore, the information considered important in oral versus nonoral decision-making varied depending on the diagnosis of the person with oropharyngeal dysphagia. Finally, the SLTs in the current study reported that they did not frequently use videofluoroscopy to make oral versus nonoral recommendations.