Do you use oral trials in dysphagia management? Do you know what the current evidence base is? In short: oral trials are recommended frequently as a rehabilitation approach in clinical practice, but the evidence base to support it is scarce. So, how exactly do we apply oral trials as a dysphagia intervention? Which patients are suitable? Is it a safe and effective approach? Tune in to this episode to learn how Dr. Jacqueline Benfield answers these questions. She also shares her recent research findings on the use of oral trials in dysphagia management.
Helpful literature mentioned or discussed in this episode:
- Archer et al. (2013). Dysphagia therapy in stroke: A survey of speech and language therapists.
- Everton et al. (2021). Effects of Pharyngeal Electrical Stimulation on Swallow Timings, Clearance and Safety in Post-Stroke Dysphagia: Analysis from the Swallowing Treatment Using Electrical Pharyngeal Stimulation (STEPS) Trial.
- Jones et al. (2018). Dysphagia therapy post stroke: An exploration of the practices and clinical decision-making of speech-language pathologists in Australia.
- Julier & Benfield (2022): A qualitative exploration of how oral trials are used in dysphagia management in one inpatient hospital.
- Julier & Benfield (2021): Evaluating the Use of Oral Trials for Inpatient Dysphagia Management: An Initial Cross-Sectional Database Study.
Unfortunately, some of the studies are not open access. Please feel free to contact us, if you are interested in reading the study.
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