Position Statement of the Union of European Phoniatricians (UEP): Fees and Phoniatricians' Role in Multidisciplinary and Multiprofessional Dysphagia Management Team.
Doris-Maria Denk-Linnert, Daniele Farneti, Tadeus Nawka and 6 others
PMID 35972695WHAT IT FOUND
European phoniatricians recommend that FEES be performed primarily by medical doctors to rule out structural disease, though speech-language pathologists may conduct follow-up exams for therapy guidance depending on local laws.
Key findings
01The paper recommends that FEES be performed by phoniatricians, at least when it is part of the initial examination, to ensure a medical diagnosis and reveal individual swallowing pathophysiology.
02Speech-language pathologists are recognized as responsible for the behavioural treatment of oropharyngeal dysphagia and may perform FEES in follow-up settings for therapeutic purposes, subject to legal regulations.
03The authors state that a FEES training certificate does not overrule national regulations regarding who is permitted to perform the procedure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is an expert opinion/consensus statement, not a research study with empirical data. The perspective is heavily skewed towards the interests and scope of practice of phoniatricians. Recommendations vary significantly by country and legal jurisdiction, limiting universal applicability.
Declared interests
Funded by the Medical University of Vienna. No other conflicts of interest are explicitly declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret this paper as a universal rule for SLP practice. The restrictions on SLPs performing FEES described here reflect specific European medical models and legal frameworks, particularly where phoniatrics is a distinct specialty. In many other jurisdictions, such as the US and UK, SLPs routinely perform FEES as part of their scope of practice.