Nursing personnel and speech-language therapists communication practices in dysphagia management.
Alida De Beer, Athenkosi Mpiti, Zeenat Ganie and 3 others
PMID 41405067WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses reported that written instructions were their top preference for dysphagia care, followed by face-to-face verbal exchange.
While most felt respected, a minority struggled to understand verbal instructions. Brief, unambiguous written notes paired with direct conversation appeared to support safe implementation.
Key findings
01Written communication was the preferred mode for immediate nursing care and receiving instructions on feeding and swallowing management.
02A minority of nurses reported struggling to understand verbal instructions from speech-language therapists, with some stating they never understood them.
03Most nurses felt comfortable executing instructions and reported high levels of satisfaction and respect in interactions with speech-language therapists.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was very small (18 participants), which limits the generalisability of the findings to all nurses or SLTs. Convenience sampling was used, which may introduce selection bias. The study relied on self-reported perceptions rather than observed clinical outcomes or patient safety data. The survey was an e-survey, which may have excluded nurses with limited digital access or literacy.
Declared interests
The research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that written communication is universally effective or that verbal instructions are always understood. The study found that 17% of nurses never understood verbal instructions, but it did not measure whether written instructions were successfully implemented or if they improved patient safety outcomes. It is a small survey of preferences, not a trial of efficacy.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →