Standardized Assessments for Dysphagia

As speech therapists, it is never too late to add more tools to our toolbox to provide better assessments for our dysphagia patients. It is important to always use standardized assessments in evaluations to catalog the signs and symptoms of dysphagia. Below are standardized screens and assessments for bedside swallow evaluations.

Dysphagia evaluations should always start with an oral mechanism to evaluate the condition of an individual’s tongue, jaw, throat, top of mouth, teeth, and tonsils. See the form below for a step-by-step guide, it is not standardized but it is easy to implement!

ASSESSMENTS FOR TEXTURES AND LIQUIDS

A few of the most common assessments for textures and liquids. Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale (DOSS) is a scale 1-7 rating current diet texture and s/s of dysphagia. EAT-10 is a patient rating scale of current symptoms of dysphagia. Guggling Swallowing Screen is an assessment that evaluates the individual trialing semi-solids, liquids, and solids. Cranial Nerve with a Focus on Swallowing and Voice is an evaluation that looks at each cranial nerve and how it may impact swallowing. Functional Oral Intake Scale is a scale 1-7 rating the current diet texture and signs and symptoms of dysphagia. The Test of Mastication and Swallowing Solids is an assessment to look at rate of mastication for swallowing. Please follow the links for more information and forms. Please see end of site for references.

Click Each Box to Get the Assessment

LIQUID SWALLOWING ASSESSMENTS

A few of the most common liquids assessments for liquids. 3oz Water Protocol Screen tests water to look for symptoms of aspiration. The Massey Bedside Swallow Tool has a short oral mech with a teaspoon of water test for signs of aspiration. Please follow links for forms. Please see end of site for references.

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Reference List

CRANIAL NERVES with a focus on swallowing and voicing
-Karen Sheffler
-Swallowstudy.com

G U S S (Gugging Swallowing Screen)
-The Gugging Swallowing Screen. Stroke. 2007;38:2948 Michaela Trapl, SLT, MSc; Paul Enderle, MD, MSc; Monika Nowotny, MD;Yvonne Teuschl, PhD; Karl Matz, MD; Alexandra Dachenhausen; PhD Michael Brainin, MD
-https://gussgroupinternational.wordpress.com

Dysphagia outcome and severity scale—DOSS
-Karen H. O’Neil, Mary Purdy, Janice Falk, & Lanelle Gallo. (1999). The Dysphagia Outcome and Severity Scale.
-DOI: 10.1007/PL00009595 · Source: PubMed

Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10)
-https://www.asha.org/siteassets

FOIS- Functional Oral Intake Scale
-Initial psychometric assessment of functional oral intake scale for dysphagia in stroke patients. Crary MA, Mann GD, Graher ME, Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005 Aug.86(8):1516-20

3 Oz Water Protocol Screen
-Chen AY, Frankowski R, Bishop-Leone J, et al. The Development and Validation of a Dysphagia-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire for Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: The M. D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2001;127(7):870–876. doi:10-1001/pubs.Arch Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg.-ISSN-0886-4470-127-7-ooa00162

Massey Bedside Swallowing Screen
-Adapted with permission from Regina Massey, CNP, Columbus, Ohio.
-Pa Patient Saf Advis [online] 2009 Dec [cited 2009 Dec 1].
Available from Internet: http://patientsafetyauthority.org/ADVISORIES/AdvisoryLibrary/2009/Dec6(4)/Pages/115.aspx.
-http://www.patientsafetyauthority.org



DISCLOSURE
The information and assessments are not the property of Sunlight Speech Therapy. At the time of this post, the standardized assessments were made available to the public. Please see references to verify the use of each referenced link before use. Please use discretion following links. Sunlight Speech Therapy is not responsible for copyright use.

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