Quiz

Q.Which of the following would improve performance against the swallow standard?

1. All patients’ swallow screened within 4 hours of admission to hospital- True – The current standard requires all patients to be screened on the day of admission and before food/drink/oral medication using a standardised assessment method to identify any difficulty in swallowing safely. This should be clearly documented in the patients’ medical records.

2. Postpone swallow screen until patient is admitted to the stroke unit – False – All patients should have their swallow screened on the day of admission and before food/drink/oral medication to identify any difficulty in swallowing safely. This should be carried out in the ward/ area the patient is admitted to and should not wait until the patient is admitted to the stroke unit.

3. Give them cup of tea and see if they choke – False – Patients should not be given anything orally until they have been swallow screened.

4. Pass a nasogastric tube for all stroke patients who have not had a swallow screen – False – Ensure that the swallow screen is carried out in a timely fashion to prevent such invasive procedures being necessary.

5. Allow the patient the choice of whether they want to eat or drink before the swallow screen has been carried out – False – It is not safe to allow patients to eat or drink until a swallow screen has been carried out as they are potentially at risk of aspiration.

6. Ensure the swallow screen is carried out by a competent practitioner – True – It is essential that the person carrying out the swallow screen is appropriately trained.

7. If no-one is available to carry out swallow screen test contact the stroke unit to request a competent practitioner to assess the patient – True – The stroke unit will have staff appropriately trained to carry out this test.

8. Don’t tell the patient in case it upsets them – False – Patients should be kept informed at all times in relation to decisions made about their treatment.