Dysphagia Care Across the Continuum: A Multidisciplinary Dysphagia Research Society Taskforce Report of Service-Delivery During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.
Anna Miles, Nadine P Connor, Rinki Varindani Desai and 11 others
PMID 32654059WHAT IT FOUND
Expert consensus says many dysphagia procedures can spread respiratory viruses.
Use enhanced PPE, defer aerosol-generating tests if PPE is unavailable, screen by trained nurses, and use telehealth only with safeguards. No controlled trials show increased provider infection.
Key findings
01Procedures that examine or treat swallowing can provoke coughing or sneezing and are treated as high-risk for airborne transmission, requiring enhanced PPE.
02No controlled trials have shown increased transmission or infection in providers who evaluate or treat patients with dysphagia; the risk guidance is expert consensus.
03Remote swallowing assessment has been shown safe and accurate in research comparisons with in-person assessment, but rushed telehealth use may miss diagnoses without training and infrastructure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The report gives expert recommendations, not tested interventions. No controlled trials have shown increased infection in dysphagia providers, so the risk statements are consensus-based. The evidence was assembled during a changing pandemic, and recommendations may have become outdated. Telehealth studies cited were done under controlled research conditions, so rapid clinic shifts may not match them. Local availability of PPE, single rooms, testing, and trained facilitators can limit what the recommendations can be applied to.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the PPE and room-closure recommendations as proven ways to reduce transmission. The report says no controlled trials have shown increased infection in dysphagia providers; the guidance is expert consensus.