Dysphagia rehabilitation following acquired brain injury, including cerebral palsy, across the lifespan: a scoping review protocol

Rhiannon Halfpenny,Paula Kelly,Alexandra Stewart,Eleanor Conway,Christina Smith

doi:10.1186/s13643-021-01861-9

Rhiannon Halfpenny, Paula Kelly + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01861-9

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Abstract

BackgroundSwallowing impairment (dysphagia) following brain injury can lead to life-threatening complications such as dehydration, aspiration pneumonia and acute choking episodes. In adult therapeutic practice, there is research and clinical evidence to support the use of swallowing exercises to improve swallowing physiology in dysphagia; however, the use of these exercises in treating children with dysphagia is largely unexplored. Fundamental questions remain regarding the feasibility and effectiveness of using swallowing exercises with children. This review aims to outline the published literature on exercise-based treatment methods used in the rehabilitation of dysphagia secondary to an acquired brain injury across the lifespan. This will allow the range and effects of interventions utilised to be mapped alongside differential practices between adult and child populations to be formally documented, providing the potential for discussions with clinicians about which rehabilitative interventions might be appropriate for further trial in paediatrics.MethodsThis study will use a scoping review framework to identify and systematically review the existing literature using Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) scoping review guidelines. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED)), grey literature and the reference lists of key texts including systematic reviews will be searched. Information about the rehabilitation design, dosage and intensity of exercise programmes used as well as demographic information such as the age of participants and aetiology of dysphagia will be extracted. The number of articles in each area and the type of data source will be presented in a written and visual format. Comparison between the literature in adult and child populations will be discussed.DiscussionThis review is unique as it directly compares dysphagia rehabilitation in adults with that of a paediatric population in order to formally identify and discuss the therapeutic gaps in child dysphagia rehabilitation. The results will inform the next stage of research, looking into the current UK-based speech and language therapy practices when working with children with acquired dysphagia.Systematic review registrationOpen science framework osf.io/ja4dr

Highlights

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is an umbrella term used to describe the damage that occurs to the brain after birth that is not associated with a hereditary or progressive disease
It can be characterised by traumatic brain injury (TBI) and non-traumatic brain injury
It is estimated that around 348,934 patients per year are admitted to the hospital with an acquired brain injury [1] with roughly 40,000 of these cases occur in children [2]

Summary

Introduction

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is an umbrella term used to describe the damage that occurs to the brain after birth that is not associated with a hereditary or progressive disease. This review aims to outline the published literature on exercise-based treatment methods used in the rehabilitation of dysphagia secondary to an acquired brain injury across the lifespan. This will allow the range and effects of interventions utilised to be mapped alongside differential practices between adult and child populations to be formally documented, providing the potential for discussions with clinicians about which rehabilitative interventions might be appropriate for further trial in paediatrics

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