Dysphagia is a term that is used to describe the difficulty in chewing and swallowing. It is usually found in patients that have a disease or dysfunction in any area of the swallowing system. When a patient is suspected to have problems swallowing and it is noted that he or she chokes when eating, the patient needs be tested for dysphagia. Any patient who is also believed to be at risk also needs to be screened. If the patient is found to be at risk, he or she needs to be put on a dysphagia diet to avoid any impairments when swallowing.
Before any assessment of the condition is done on a patient, some steps need to be taken. The condition of the patient needs to be ideal for results to give an accurate assessment. The patient needs to be conscious, seated in a good posture and the oral motor function should be right. He or she should also be in a position to cooperate with the assessor. Once the patient is ready, the assessment can be done. It is important that the patient's ability to swallow liquids and solids is assessed separately. If no difficulty is experienced by the patient, he or she can receive a normal diet with close monitoring of their respiratory and oral intake.
There are several signs that are common with this condition. They usually indicate difficulty in chewing and swallowing. They include leakage from the mouth, coughing, loss of breath, choking and a poor quality of voice after swallowing. Some patients, however, develop aspiration silently and it may take time before it is detected.
The most common patients who have a high risk of developing the condition, are those that have recently had a stroke. Early detection avoids the patient getting malnutrition, pneumonia, persistent disability and even having a prolonged stay at the hospital. When the condition is extreme, it can lead to death.
It is important that the patient's risk of this condition is assessed and determined by qualified personnel. This is to ensure that the right assessment is done. Nurses or any other caregivers can then be advised and given instructions as to the precautions they should take and the diet to follow.
All the results and observations of the assessment should be documented in the patient's chart. The assessor also needs to recommend the type of assistance that the patient should receive. The diet should be included in the documentation. Other things the assessor should share include the posture and the food quantity to be given to the patient.
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.
Before any assessment of the condition is done on a patient, some steps need to be taken. The condition of the patient needs to be ideal for results to give an accurate assessment. The patient needs to be conscious, seated in a good posture and the oral motor function should be right. He or she should also be in a position to cooperate with the assessor. Once the patient is ready, the assessment can be done. It is important that the patient's ability to swallow liquids and solids is assessed separately. If no difficulty is experienced by the patient, he or she can receive a normal diet with close monitoring of their respiratory and oral intake.
There are several signs that are common with this condition. They usually indicate difficulty in chewing and swallowing. They include leakage from the mouth, coughing, loss of breath, choking and a poor quality of voice after swallowing. Some patients, however, develop aspiration silently and it may take time before it is detected.
The most common patients who have a high risk of developing the condition, are those that have recently had a stroke. Early detection avoids the patient getting malnutrition, pneumonia, persistent disability and even having a prolonged stay at the hospital. When the condition is extreme, it can lead to death.
It is important that the patient's risk of this condition is assessed and determined by qualified personnel. This is to ensure that the right assessment is done. Nurses or any other caregivers can then be advised and given instructions as to the precautions they should take and the diet to follow.
All the results and observations of the assessment should be documented in the patient's chart. The assessor also needs to recommend the type of assistance that the patient should receive. The diet should be included in the documentation. Other things the assessor should share include the posture and the food quantity to be given to the patient.
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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