Nurse-led speech therapist referral initiative for older adult patients at risk of dysphagia: a best practice implementation project

Introduction and objectives: Dysphagia is common among older patients, affecting their nutritional status, hospital readmission, length of hospital stay, and hospitalization costs. Nurses can play a key role in early identification of dysphagia through systematic screening. This project sought to (i) achieve 80% compliance among nurses in using the 4-point questionnaire test (4QT) swallow screening test on patients and (ii) ensure all patients screening positive for dysphagia were referred to a speech therapist within 1 day.Methods: A short swallow screening tool was adapted from an evidence-based screening tool, the 4QT, by a team of speech therapists, a geriatrician, and a geriatric trained nurse. Ward nurses were then trained on using the tool to screen older patients upon admission or transfer to another ward. The project used the JBI Evidence Implementation Framework, which involved pre and post audits and feedback to evaluate compliance with best practice.Results: Compliance increased in the use of the short swallow screening tool, rising from 64% (n = 25) in the baseline audit to 71% (n = 34) in the follow-up audit. However, there was a decrease in the referral of patients who screened positive for dysphagia to speech therapists, with the rate dropping from 92% (n = 12) to 86% (n = 12). All patients (n = 12) from both baseline and follow-up audits were referred to a speech therapist within 1 day of admission/transfer post-implementation compared with 70% (n = 7) at pre-implementation.Conclusions: This project applied evidence-based recommendations to clinical practice and improved patient outcomes. The nurses facilitated timely referrals to speech therapists for further assessment and intervention, which was useful in the clinical context. The nurses continue to use the screening tool routinely to prevent dysphagia complications among geriatric patients.