PURPOSE
Purposes of this study were to develop a reliable and valid checklist to assess and manage post-stroke dysphagia and to identify its utilization.
METHODS
The first step was to develop checklist through systematic literatures reviews, to test the content validity from 11 clinical experts, and to test the construct validity and the internal consistency from 97 patients with post-stroke dysphagia. The second step was to identify clinical use of the checklist from the same 97 patients.
RESULTS
A total of 18 items compromised the assessment checklist and 64 items for intervention checklist. Internal consistencies of assessment checklist and intervention checklist were .84 and .98, respectively. In both checklists, level of utilization of general appearance was the highest, while that of early signs of aspiration was the lowest. The utilization levels of two checklists were significantly higher among patients who were less than 60 years old, and had liquid diet, facial paralysis, and previous history of aspiration pneumonia.
CONCLUSION
We found that the checklists were reliable and valid. Further study is needed to develop specific strategies to improve nurses' use of assessment and intervention checklists for post-stroke dysphagia.