Dysphagia is a medical term that describes a patient's inability to chew or swallow without experiencing discomfort. Patients with a dysfunction in any part of the swallowing system are likely to experience this. It is important that patients may be suspected to have this condition are assessed early enough and the risks determined. They can then be recommended to receive a dysphagia diet depending on the severity of the condition. When this is done early enough, risks are reduced and the patient's condition can improve significantly.
When assessing the risk of dysphagia in patients, it is important to assess their consciousness level, oral motor function, posture and ability to cooperate. Once these are checked, the test can be carried out with different foods starting with liquids as you move to more difficult foods. The ability to tolerate liquids should be assessed separately from that of solids. If a patient does not have any problems swallowing any of these foods, they can receive a normal diet. However, their oral and respiratory intake should be closely monitored.
Some of the expected signs that are expected during the assessment include, coughing, choking, loss of breath, leakage from the mouth and a poor voice quality after swallowing. These are fairly common signs for patients with the condition. It is possible however for patients to develop the condition without showing any of these signs. This makes the condition difficult to detect.
The condition is usually common with recent stroke patients. When left undetected, other risks can complicate a patient's condition such as malnutrition, pneumonia, and persistent disability. The patient can also have a prolonged stay at the hospital. In the extreme cases, death can result.
A qualified personnel is highly recommended to carry out the assessment. It should not be left to caregivers or nurses to determine the severity of the condition in a patient. They should be the ones to offer the patient the necessary support after instructions are given to them on the do's and don't.
During the assessment, the observations and the results need to be documented in the patient's chart. The patient's tolerance to various food textures and the kind of assistance he or she may require should be recommended. Other things that can be added include the recommended posture during a meal and the amount of food to be given.
The objective of the diet is to provide foods that can be tolerated by patients who have difficulty chewing or swallowing. It also aims at meeting the nutrient requirements of the patients. The patient's condition is improved as any complications resulting from the food intolerance are avoided.
The diet is divided into five stages. In each stage, a particular food texture is described according to the severity of the condition. The first stage includes foods that have a pudding consistency and texture. The second stage has foods that are minced into sesame seeds sizes. In the third stage, grounded foods are given. These are foods that are the size of rice. The fourth stage describes foods that are in the size of small bread cubes and the final stage has normal soft and moist foods with the regular texture.
When assessing the risk of dysphagia in patients, it is important to assess their consciousness level, oral motor function, posture and ability to cooperate. Once these are checked, the test can be carried out with different foods starting with liquids as you move to more difficult foods. The ability to tolerate liquids should be assessed separately from that of solids. If a patient does not have any problems swallowing any of these foods, they can receive a normal diet. However, their oral and respiratory intake should be closely monitored.
Some of the expected signs that are expected during the assessment include, coughing, choking, loss of breath, leakage from the mouth and a poor voice quality after swallowing. These are fairly common signs for patients with the condition. It is possible however for patients to develop the condition without showing any of these signs. This makes the condition difficult to detect.
The condition is usually common with recent stroke patients. When left undetected, other risks can complicate a patient's condition such as malnutrition, pneumonia, and persistent disability. The patient can also have a prolonged stay at the hospital. In the extreme cases, death can result.
A qualified personnel is highly recommended to carry out the assessment. It should not be left to caregivers or nurses to determine the severity of the condition in a patient. They should be the ones to offer the patient the necessary support after instructions are given to them on the do's and don't.
During the assessment, the observations and the results need to be documented in the patient's chart. The patient's tolerance to various food textures and the kind of assistance he or she may require should be recommended. Other things that can be added include the recommended posture during a meal and the amount of food to be given.
The objective of the diet is to provide foods that can be tolerated by patients who have difficulty chewing or swallowing. It also aims at meeting the nutrient requirements of the patients. The patient's condition is improved as any complications resulting from the food intolerance are avoided.
The diet is divided into five stages. In each stage, a particular food texture is described according to the severity of the condition. The first stage includes foods that have a pudding consistency and texture. The second stage has foods that are minced into sesame seeds sizes. In the third stage, grounded foods are given. These are foods that are the size of rice. The fourth stage describes foods that are in the size of small bread cubes and the final stage has normal soft and moist foods with the regular texture.
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