Dysphagia Management Practices Among Speech-Language Pathologists in Malaysia

Abstract

In Malaysia, speech-language pathology services for dysphagia managementare yet to be fully established. Detailed knowledge of current practices is necessary to inform future training and infrastructure needs. Therefore, the current study aimed to: (a) explore current practice for dysphagia management among speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Malaysia and (b) compare Malaysian practice to those of SLPs working in settings with an established dysphagia service (Queensland Health, Australia). A questionnaire was mailed to 30 SLPs working in Malaysian governmenthospitals. The same set of questionnaires was then mailed to SLPs in Queensland government hospitals who matched the Malaysian cohort. Survey findings from the Malaysian clinicians revealed at least moderate consistency of practice for 24 out of 25 clinical items examined, with 71% of these items classified as having high practice consistency. Comparisons with the matched cohort of SLPs, revealed patterns of practice were comparable across 19 of the 25 (76%) aspects of dysphagia assessment and treatment examined. The most noticeable areas of inconsistencyof practice between the two groups related to the proportion of active caseload dedicated to dysphagia management, the use of a team approach to dysphagia management, involvement in making diagnoses, and differences regarding the nature and frequency of use of instrumental diagnostic tools. Despite identifying a number of areas which require further education and training, overall the current study demonstrated that the dysphagia service in Malaysia is moving toward standards of practice largely comparable to more established services. The findings provide insight into patterns of service development for other countries developingdysphagia services.