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.
Before any assessment of the condition is done on a patient, some steps need to be taken. The condition of the patient needs to be ideal for results to give an accurate assessment. The patient needs to be conscious, seated in a good posture and the oral motor function should be right. He or she should also be in a position to cooperate with the assessor. Once the patient is ready, the assessment can be done. It is important that the patient's ability to swallow liquids and solids is assessed separately. If no difficulty is experienced by the patient, he or she can receive a normal diet with close monitoring of their respiratory and oral intake.
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 divided into five stages. In each stage, a particular food texture is described according to the severity of the condition. The first stage includes foods that have a pudding consistency and texture. The second stage has foods that are minced into sesame seeds sizes. In the third stage, grounded foods are given. These are foods that are the size of rice. The fourth stage describes foods that are in the size of small bread cubes and the final stage has normal soft and moist foods with the regular texture.
Before any assessment of the condition is done on a patient, some steps need to be taken. The condition of the patient needs to be ideal for results to give an accurate assessment. The patient needs to be conscious, seated in a good posture and the oral motor function should be right. He or she should also be in a position to cooperate with the assessor. Once the patient is ready, the assessment can be done. It is important that the patient's ability to swallow liquids and solids is assessed separately. If no difficulty is experienced by the patient, he or she can receive a normal diet with close monitoring of their respiratory and oral intake.
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 divided into five stages. In each stage, a particular food texture is described according to the severity of the condition. The first stage includes foods that have a pudding consistency and texture. The second stage has foods that are minced into sesame seeds sizes. In the third stage, grounded foods are given. These are foods that are the size of rice. The fourth stage describes foods that are in the size of small bread cubes and the final stage has normal soft and moist foods with the regular texture.
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