| Store Copy of Triage and dysphagia: are hospitals in the South African public health sector ready? |
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ABSTRACT: Dysphagia screening has proven to be beneficial for individuals at risk for swallowing impairment. Why then is there a need for dysphagia triage? Inefficiencies and often non-existence of screening referral processes may lead one to consider whether dysphagia triage may not be more viable in the public healthcare context. Dysphagia triage could potentially prioritise emergency swallowing care and identify patients who need immediate swallowing attention based on the nature or severity of dysphagia. The use of a dysphagia triage checklist could have implications for patient health outcomes in terms of the safety of oral diets, development of aspiration pneumonia, malnutrition, administration of oral medication and overall patient prognosis.
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