Clinical criteria used by health professionals for release oral diet in hospitalized adults patients

Abstract:PURPOSE:integrated action of the multidisciplinary team is essential to success in management of oropharyngeal dysphagia in hospital. However, this is not always a reality of multidisciplinary teams, which can lead to a lack of unity in actions. Objetive: To identify clinical criteria used by professionals to introduce oral diet in neurological hospitalized patients at risk of dysphagia.METHODS:this is a descriptive study with a qualitative research design. The study involved 48 professionals engaged in two general hospitals in a provincial city of Paraná. Data were collected through a questionnaire.RESULTS:100% of professionals believe that the level of consciousness is very important for swallowing, were only 52.2% these consider that salivary swallowing represent an important procedure before orally stimulus implementation. These, 95.8% believe that the stroke and traumatic brain injuries are more important diseases related for the dysphagia. Hence, only 47.9% of them considered a speech therapist evaluation relevant after tracheal extubation, independent of intubation cause or pathology. Regarding the total of patients, 45.8% consider necessary the occlusion of the tracheotomy at the same time of the food supply, showing a non relationship between physiology of swallowing with the use of tracheotomy. About feed on a patient with a plastic cannula and inflated cuff, 52.1% of professionals consider it is possible and 47.9% say they do not, a fact much discussed in the literature. It is observed that 77.1% of professionals considered that the removal of the tracheotomy improves and facilitates the swallowing process, which is a statistically significant percentage.CONCLUSION:there is a regular knowledge of professionals about the dysphagia management in the hospital place. There is a need for a program of continuing education staff to improve the care of patients with dysphagia.