[Usefulness of implementing a dysphagia care programme at an intermediate and long stay hospital].
OBJECTIVE
To describe the initial results of the implementation of a dysphagia assessment and intervention programme and to know which variables showed significant differences between patients with and without dysphagia detected by this way at an intermediate and long stay hospital.


METHODS
Descriptive and retrospective study on the assessment performed to patients suspected of having dysphagia and of the subsequent intervention done on those in whom it was confirmed. A standardized clinical method using different viscosities and volumes was used. After confirming the condition, different dietary, postural, and educational cares were undertaken. Demographical, clinical, and analytical variables were registered.


RESULTS
146 patients were included, 110 of them presenting dysphagia of whom the corresponding assessments and interventions were described. This represented a dysphagia prevalence of 14.8% among all admitted patients. The univariate analysis between patients with and without dysphagia showed that the former presented at the time of admission a higher prevalence of a feeding tube (p = 0.011) and a lower proportion of mild cognitive impairment (p = 0.048); and at the time of hospital discharge, lower functional recovery (p < 0.01) and higher presence of a feeding tube (p = 0.028), hyponutrition(p < 0,01), and mortality (p = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Given its frequent presentation and important clinical repercussion, and in order to improve health care quality at ILSH, the implementation of a dysphagia care programme is advisable. The dysphagia detected was correlated with the presence of a feeding tube and had clear implications on the clinical course at a functional and nutritional level and vital prognosis.
Ferrero López
M I
MI
Unidad de Dietética y Nutrición, Hospital Pare Jofré, Agencia Valenciana de Salud, Consellería de Sanitat, Valencia, España. ferrero_isa@gva.es
Castellano Vela
E
E
Navarro Sanz
R
R
D000368:Aged; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies