Evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of SOS Dysphagia: Brief educational interventions for adults with oropharyngeal dysphagia and their informal caregivers

The study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of SOS Dysphagia, an educational tool used by speech-language pathologists for patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia and their informal caregivers in Lebanon. SOS Dysphagia was developed to provide six educational activities, educational tools, and handouts targeting oropharyngeal dysphagia patients and their informal caregivers. Twelve speech-language pathologists delivered SOS Dysphagia to 33 patients and their informal caregivers. Participants completed questionnaires for feasibility and acceptability. Participants completed questionnaires. All patients and informal caregivers were satisfied following educational activity sheets used by the speech-language patholoigst. Thirty-nine percent “totally agreed”, and 60.7% “agreed” that the information received during the administration of the educational activities to be easily applicable in their daily life. Among patients and informal caregivers, 48.2% “totally agreed” and 51.8% “agreed” that the readability of the written material was adequate. All speech-language pathologists reported positive acceptability and 100% used only the tools and resources proposed in SOS Dysphagia to complete the educational activity sheets. The feasibility study demonstrates the participants’ acceptability of SOS Dysphagia by showing satisfaction after its usage. Further research is needed to continue this study on the remaining SOS Dysphagia material targeting more speech-language pathologists, other health care professionals, and more patients and informal caregivers.