Education Provided to Stroke Nurses on the Use of Dysphagia Screening Tools: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

Background

Stroke nurses must perform dysphagia screening on all suspected stroke patients, adhering to best practice guidelines. While comprehensive training is essential for safe and competent screening, the variability in dysphagia screening tools leads to significant differences in education.

Aim

This scoping review aims to collate and report what education is provided to stroke nurses on the use of dysphagia screening tools.

Design

A scoping review guided by the PRISMA-ScR checklist.

Methods

A systematic review of three electronic databases identified 318 peer-reviewed studies. After screening and eligibility assessment in COVIDENCE, 10 studies were included. Data from these studies was analysed using Arksey and O'Malley's thematic framework.

Data Sources

MEDLINE, CINHAL, Scopus.

Results

Ten studies were included in this review which yielded the following major themes: (1) comprehensive and structured training; (2) diversity of training methods; (3) ongoing education and competency assessment; and (4) standardised protocols and tools.

Conclusion

Offering comprehensive training programs to stroke nurses on dysphagia screening tools is associated with more timely interventions and improved outcomes; however inconsistent approaches to training make it difficult to benchmark outcomes of the education provided. Future research should explore stroke nurses' experiences with current training to guide future training program development.

Relevance to Clinical Practice

This review highlights the importance of training stroke nurses to use dysphagia screening tools to improve patient outcomes.

Patient or Public Contribution

No patient or public contribution.