Agreement in the assessment of the food pathway between speech therapists and physicians based on the FOIS scale

a retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Introduction: Hospital-based speech-language pathology plays a crucial role in preventing and managing patients at risk of bronchoaspiration. However, the initial evaluation and determination of the feeding route in hospitalized patients may not always fall under the responsibility of the speech-language pathologist. Objective: To compare the decisions of speech-language pathologists and medical professionals regarding the feasibility of the feeding route in a general hospital and identify factors associated with swallowing improvement. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients admitted to a hospital in Joinville from March to August 2018. The feeding route was assessed based on the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS), with the initial decision compared between the speech-language pathologist and the physician for the same patient. Results: Among 171 patients, there was higher agreement between medical and speech-language pathology decisions for nasoenteral tube feeding (88.7%) and oral unrestricted intake (81.9%). However, there was only 35% agreement in defining an adapted diet, with overall moderate agreement (Kappa 0.486). Oral feeding improved in 62 patients (36%). The presence of nasoenteral tube feeding (OR = 3.17; p = 0.025) and a higher number of in-hospital speech-language pathology appointments (OR = 1.09; p = 0.020) were identified as independent predictors for dysphagia improvement. Conclusion: Concordance was found in the dietary assessment for the use of nasoenteral tube feeding or oral unrestricted intake between speech-language pathologists and physicians. The use of nasoenteral tube feeding as an indicator of patient severity and a higher number of speech-language pathology sessions were associated with dysphagia improvement during hospitalization.