Perceived barriers to compliance with speech-language therapist dysphagia recommendations of South African nurses.
Andrea Robbertse, Alida De Beer
PMID 33054247WHAT IT FOUND
Nurses reported time constraints (93%) and staff shortages (91%) as the biggest barriers to following dysphagia recommendations.
Many also lacked familiarity with SLT terminology (72%) and training (72%). These workplace and knowledge gaps hinder compliance.
Key findings
01Time constraints (93%) and staff shortages (91%) were the most frequently reported work-environment barriers to compliance.
0272% of nurses reported insufficient training regarding dysphagia management and poor familiarity with SLT terminology.
0380% of nurses perceived patients with dysphagia as uncooperative during mealtimes, which exacerbates time constraints.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Convenience sampling was used, meaning participants were not randomly selected, which limits the generalisability of the findings to all South African nurses. The study was conducted in only two tertiary hospitals, so results may not reflect barriers in primary care or rural settings. Demographic information was incomplete, with only 39 of 81 participants stating their qualifications, making it difficult to analyse how specific nursing roles or levels of training influenced the reported barriers.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the University of Stellenbosch’s Health Research Ethics Committee.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these barriers as evidence of nurse negligence or unwillingness to comply. The high rates of reported time constraints (93%) and staff shortages (91%) indicate that systemic workload pressures, rather than individual attitude, are the primary drivers of non-compliance.