A structured method designed by nurses to deal with difficulties in a affected person’s capability to securely and successfully transfer meals or liquid from the mouth to the abdomen. This encompasses evaluation, intervention, and ongoing analysis to reduce the chance of aspiration, keep ample vitamin and hydration, and enhance the affected person’s high quality of life. For instance, it might element particular methods for modifying meals textures, positioning the affected person throughout meals, and implementing swallowing workouts.
Such a framework is important for mitigating potential problems related to dysphagia, comparable to pneumonia, malnutrition, and dehydration. Its implementation can considerably enhance affected person outcomes and scale back hospital readmission charges. Traditionally, these plans have developed alongside developments in diagnostic methods and therapeutic interventions, reflecting a rising understanding of the complicated physiological processes concerned in deglutition.