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Understanding Dysphagia Care in the Community Setting

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Abstract

Factors including health policy reform and the aging population are increasing demand for quality healthcare in the community. People with dysphagia are supported by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in hospital and community settings; however, little is known about the nature of dysphagia services offered by SLPs in the community. The aim of this study was to investigate SLP services and practices provided to community-based adults with dysphagia. A national cohort (n = 144) of SLPs working with community-based clients with dysphagia completed an online survey. Results revealed that clients with neurological conditions comprised the largest proportion of the caseload. Primary referral sources were family doctors (42.4%) or other health professionals (37.5%), with low rates of self-referral. Services were primarily delivered via individual sessions (84.1%), usually within the client’s home (80% saw clients at home). While many clinicians were using both clinical and instrumental assessments, half had to refer clients to the other services to access instrumental assessment. Most provided assessment and rehabilitation services, though a few (28.5%) reported using formal outcome or quality-of-life measures. Only 43.8% referred or encouraged clients or caregivers to access support or social groups and a few SLPs incorporated social participation or client well-being aspects in treatment. Speech-language pathology (SLP) practices in the community appear similar to what occurs in the acute setting, which are inherently biomedical. This may not be optimal care for clients with dysphagia who live at home and their caregivers. Further exploration about what clients and caregivers want from community-based SLP services is warranted.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the speech-language pathologists who participated in this study for sharing their practices and experiences, including those who took the time to pilot the survey and provide invaluable feedback. Thanks also go to research assistant, Georgina Klokman, who assisted with data analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Simone R. Howells, Petrea L. Cornwell & Pim Kuipers

  2. Speech Pathology Program, School of Allied Health Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, 4222, Australia

    Simone R. Howells & Petrea L. Cornwell

  3. Centre for Functioning and Health Research, Metro South Hospital and Health Service, PO Box 6053, Buranda, QLD, 4102, Australia

    Elizabeth C. Ward & Pim Kuipers

  4. School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia Campus, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Elizabeth C. Ward

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  1. Simone R. Howells
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Correspondence to Simone R. Howells.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Howells, S.R., Cornwell, P.L., Ward, E.C. et al. Understanding Dysphagia Care in the Community Setting. Dysphagia 34, 681–691 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-018-09971-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-018-09971-8

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