Clinicians’ Preferences and Practices in Conducting Clinical/Bedside and Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Examinations in an Adult, Neurogenic Population

Abstract

The purposes of this investigation were: (a) to determine which clinical/bedside and videofluoroscopic (VFS) examination methods and measures clinicians believe should be employed to assess swallowing in adults with neurogenic etiologies, (b) to determine which clinical/bedside and VFS examination methods and measures clinicians actually use, and (c) to compare clinicians’ preferences and practices with examination methods and measures that have research support. A survey was sent to 300 speech-language pathologists, selected randomly, from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Dysphagia Special Interest Division. Sixty-one surveys (20%) provided the data for analysis. Results indicate clinicians vary regarding which clinical/bedside and videofluoroscopic methods and measures should be employed to assess swallowing function in an adult, neurogenic population. Nevertheless, clinicians, for the most part, use the methods they believe should be employed. There appears to be a need to validate, through research, a number of methods and measures clinicians employ in clinical/bedside evaluations. In addition, there appears to be a need to reduce and define clearly the number of duration measures, as well as other VFS measures, that are being proposed. Results also indicate a need to determine the sensitivity, specificity, and reliability of the variety of methods employed in both clinical/bedside and VFS examinations.