A Tool for the Assessment of Swallowing Safety and Efficiency in Adults: Turkish Adaptation of Boston Residue and Clearance Scale.
Samet Tosun, Saime Seyhun Topbaş, Elif Aksoy
PMID 38703232WHAT IT FOUND
Five speech therapists reliably scored residue locations on 102 videos of 25 stroke patients using the Turkish Boston Residue and Clearance Scale.
The tool consistently identified residue in three areas: the laryngeal vestibule, hypopharynx, and oropharynx. It requires frame-by-frame review.
Key findings
01The Turkish adaptation of the Boston Residue and Clearance Scale demonstrated acceptable inter-rater reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.83 and 0.85 for the first and second sessions respectively.
02Factor analysis identified three distinct anatomical regions for scoring residue: the laryngeal vestibule, the hypopharynx, and the oropharynx.
03The scale maintained high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.88 to 0.93 across the total score and subscales.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included only 25 patients, all with post-stroke dysphagia, so findings may not generalize to other causes of swallowing difficulty. Only five raters participated, all of whom were speech-language pathologists, limiting the assessment of how other healthcare professionals might use the tool. The scoring process is described as potentially burdensome for routine clinical practice due to the need for detailed frame-by-frame analysis.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this tool is quick to use in a busy clinic. The authors note that maintaining its reliability requires frame-by-frame analysis and clear instructions, which demands significant time from the clinician.