Evaluation and Treatment of Dysphagia in Public and Private Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in Greece

Soultana L Papadopoulou; Evangelia Kitsanou; Ermioni Brahimi; Georgios Papathanakos; Ioannis Andrianopoulos; Stavroula J Theodorou; Vasilios Koulouras; Nafsica Ziavra

doi:10.1055/s-0043-1767676

Evaluation and Treatment of Dysphagia in Public and Private Intensive Care Units (ICUs) in Greece

Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2024 Feb 5;28(1):e30-e41. doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1767676. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Authors

Soultana L Papadopoulou¹, Evangelia Kitsanou¹, Ermioni Brahimi¹, Georgios Papathanakos², Ioannis Andrianopoulos², Stavroula J Theodorou³, Vasilios Koulouras², Nafsica Ziavra¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Speech and Language Therapy, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
² Intensive Care Unit, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
³ Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.

Abstract

Introduction Dysphagia is a significant but underrecognized clinical issue in the intensive care unit (ICU), and it is associated with various complications. Despite its clinical importance, there is limited research and no Greek ICU-specific guidelines for managing dysphagic patients. Additionally, only a few ICUs in Greece have dysphagia specialists, specifically speech-language pathologists (SLPs) providing their expertise. Objective Τo identify the current practices for dysphagia management (screening, assessment, treatment) and gain insight into ICU directors' awareness/perceptions of the prevalence, complications, and risk of dysphagia. Materials and Methods We identified 138 Greek ICUs. Data were collected from ICU (including pediatric and neonatal) directors, working in public and private hospitals, via a 24-item, anonymous online questionnaire, within a 4-month period. Results Our survey was completed by 45 ICU directors. Most participants (84.4%) reported that dysphagia is a relevant clinical problem in their ICU, and 51.1% estimated a frequency rate < 20%. Non-instrumental approaches are mainly utilized to screen and diagnose dysphagia, whereas enteral nutrition and diet modifications are used to manage dysphagia. Additionally, 64.4% of ICU directors agreed that SLPs are essential for the management of dysphagic patients, and 66.7%, that awareness of dysphagia in their ICU could be increased. Conclusion The current study documented the methods and approaches used to manage dysphagic patients in Greek ICUs. The ICU directors seem to recognize the clinical significance of dysphagia and its complications. According to our findings, the employment of SLPs could result in a more comprehensive and intensive approach and improve the quality of care for these patients.

Keywords: critical care; dysphagia; intensive care units; survey.

The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).

Grants and funding

Funding The authors declare that the present research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.