Evidence-based systematic review: Oropharyngeal dysphagia behavioral treatments. Part I--background and methodology.
Evidence-based systematic reviews (EBSRs), in conjunction with clinical expertise and client values, are invaluable tools for speech-language pathologists and audiologists. This article provides an overview of the levels-of-evidence scheme used by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to conduct systematic reviews. The goal of ASHA reviews is to provide a tool to help clinicians determine the best treatment course for their clients. We present a collaborative project between ASHA's National Center for Evidence-based Practice in Communication Disorders and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that examined seven behavioral swallowing treatments for disordered and nondisordered populations. The methodology used in a series of reviews conducted by ASHA and the VA will be discussed, including the development of clinical questions, search parameters, inclusion/exclusion criteria, and literature search results. Findings from the series of reviews as well as the practical applications of EBSRs will be reported in subsequent articles in this series.
Frymark
Tobi
T
National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2200 Research Blvd, 245, Rockville, MD 20850, USA. tfrymark@asha.org
Schooling
Tracy
T
Mullen
Robert
R
Wheeler-Hegland
Karen
K
Ashford
John
J
McCabe
Daniel
D
Musson
Nan
N
Hammond
Carol Smith
CS
D016235:American Speech-Language-Hearing Association; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs