title: 'Dysphagia Severity Score' system: clinical outcomes in paediatric dysphagia.
abstract: Clinical evaluation and analysis of therapeutic intervention, by means of a user-friendly outcome measure system, is essential in the management of a paediatric dysphagia caseload. The objective of this study was to design a Dysphagia Severity Score (DSS) system and to evaluate its usefulness in profiling dysphagia outcomes. Clinical outcome data, based on ten clinical parameters describing dysphagic status pre- and post-intervention, were collated for 23 concurrent cases and recorded on a data base. Results indicate that all subjects scored an improvement in DSS percentage post-intervention, with an average improvement of 21%. Dysphagia Severity Score profiles are presented for two patients and the limitations and applications are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Royal Belfast Hospital For Sick Children.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dick
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome