Instrumental swallowing assessment in adults in residential aged care homes: Practice patterns and opportunities

Abstract

Objective: To describe practice patterns in the use of instrumental swallowing assessment (ISA) for older adults in residential aged care homes (RACHs). Methods: A retrospective audit of medical records of residents living in RACHs in Melbourne, Australia to extract data on speech-language pathologist (SLP) involvement, indications for ISA and ISA practice patterns. Results: Medical files of 323 residents across four Melbourne facilities were reviewed. 36% (n = 115) of residents were referred to SLP for swallowing assessment. Referral to SLP was related to length of stay (U = 7393.00, p < 0.001), dementia status (χ2[1] = 7.06, p = 0.008), texture modification (χ2[1] = 93.34, p < 0.001) and a..