[The importance of an assessment of dysphagia for patients with a stroke]

Abstract

This paper describes a study which was carried out within a project regarding the assessment of dysphagia for patients who had suffered a stroke. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate formatively the implementation of an assessment instrument for the care of patients with dysphagia. By means of a qualitative study semi-structured interviews with six nurses of a stroke unit were carried out. The interviews were analysed using content-analysis described by Mayring. The analysis illustrated that the interviewed nurses perceived the therapeutical value of nursing for patients with dysphagia. Furthermore the participants determined that a training course on the subject of caring for patients with dysphagia was important for the development of systematic knowledge which again added to the nurses' confidence of care for patients affected by dysphagia. However the utilisation of the assessment instrument developed by means of the project was problematic as described by the nurses participating in this study.