A Measure of Swallow Effort Using the Borg Category Ratio 10 Perceived Exertion Scale

Abstract

Purpose: With the emphasis on patient-centered care, tools to adequately measure the experience of swallowing are an important part of clinical care. Swallowing effort is one such experience. However, few measurement tools capture swallowing effort in the moment of swallowing to quantify effort. The Borg Category Ratio 10 Perceived Exertion Scale (Borg CR 10), designed to track effort in a variety of tasks from lifting, breathing, and running, appears to be a likely candidate to measure swallowing effort in the moment of swallowing. Method: In a quasi-random design, 32 healthy individuals, ages 40–80 years (average age: 63 years), consumed seven bolus consistencies in both small and large quantities, three times. Following each individual swallow, they rated the amount of effort it took to swallow each bolus using an adapted Borg CR 10 for swallowing effort. Results: Results showed significantly greater reports of swallowing effort on the Borg CR 10 for more adhesive consistencies, larger quantities, and increased number of swallows. Conclusion: Results suggest that the Borg CR 10 is a reasonable measurement tool to capture patient-perceived effort in swallowing.