Dysphagia is a term that is used to describe the difficulty in chewing and swallowing. It is usually found in patients that have a disease or dysfunction in any area of the swallowing system. When a patient is suspected to have problems swallowing and it is noted that he or she chokes when eating, the patient needs be tested for dysphagia. Any patient who is also believed to be at risk also needs to be screened. If the patient is found to be at risk, he or she needs to be put on a dysphagia diet to avoid any impairments when swallowing.
When assessing the risk of dysphagia in patients, it is important to assess their consciousness level, oral motor function, posture and ability to cooperate. Once these are checked, the test can be carried out with different foods starting with liquids as you move to more difficult foods. The ability to tolerate liquids should be assessed separately from that of solids. If a patient does not have any problems swallowing any of these foods, they can receive a normal diet. However, their oral and respiratory intake should be closely monitored.
Some of the common signs that should be expected during the assessment for a patient with the condition include leakage of food from the mouth. Other signs are choking, coughing, loss of breath and even a poor voice quality after swallowing. However, some patients can develop the condition silently and this can hinder early detection.
Patients who have recently had a stroke are the most likely to have this condition. If the condition is not detected early it may lead to other risks such as malnutrition, prolonged hospital stay, pneumonia or persistent disability. Death may also occur in extreme cases.
A qualified personnel is the best person to assess a patient for this condition. Any nurse or caregiver should not be delegated to assess the condition. The results of the assessment should be shared with them to ensure they offer the patient the recommended foods. Specific instructions on what should be avoided should also be given.
Any observations and the final result needs to be documented on the patient's chart. The personnel should also recommend the diet that should be followed and other things that can help improve the patient's condition. These can vary from the amount to be given to the posture the patient should have during the meal.
The objective of the diet is to provide foods that can be tolerated by patients who have difficulty chewing or swallowing. It also aims at meeting the nutrient requirements of the patients. The patient's condition is improved as any complications resulting from the food intolerance are avoided.
The diet is defined in several stages. The difference in the stages is the food texture. The first stage is the pureed stage where the foods offered have a pudding-like texture and consistency. The next stage has minced type foods or foods chopped into small pieces like the size of sesame seeds. The third stage has grounded or foods diced to the size of rice. The fourth stage has foods chopped into bread cubes sizes while the final stage contains regular textured foods that are soft and moist.
When assessing the risk of dysphagia in patients, it is important to assess their consciousness level, oral motor function, posture and ability to cooperate. Once these are checked, the test can be carried out with different foods starting with liquids as you move to more difficult foods. The ability to tolerate liquids should be assessed separately from that of solids. If a patient does not have any problems swallowing any of these foods, they can receive a normal diet. However, their oral and respiratory intake should be closely monitored.
Some of the common signs that should be expected during the assessment for a patient with the condition include leakage of food from the mouth. Other signs are choking, coughing, loss of breath and even a poor voice quality after swallowing. However, some patients can develop the condition silently and this can hinder early detection.
Patients who have recently had a stroke are the most likely to have this condition. If the condition is not detected early it may lead to other risks such as malnutrition, prolonged hospital stay, pneumonia or persistent disability. Death may also occur in extreme cases.
A qualified personnel is the best person to assess a patient for this condition. Any nurse or caregiver should not be delegated to assess the condition. The results of the assessment should be shared with them to ensure they offer the patient the recommended foods. Specific instructions on what should be avoided should also be given.
Any observations and the final result needs to be documented on the patient's chart. The personnel should also recommend the diet that should be followed and other things that can help improve the patient's condition. These can vary from the amount to be given to the posture the patient should have during the meal.
The objective of the diet is to provide foods that can be tolerated by patients who have difficulty chewing or swallowing. It also aims at meeting the nutrient requirements of the patients. The patient's condition is improved as any complications resulting from the food intolerance are avoided.
The diet is defined in several stages. The difference in the stages is the food texture. The first stage is the pureed stage where the foods offered have a pudding-like texture and consistency. The next stage has minced type foods or foods chopped into small pieces like the size of sesame seeds. The third stage has grounded or foods diced to the size of rice. The fourth stage has foods chopped into bread cubes sizes while the final stage contains regular textured foods that are soft and moist.
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