Swallowing and Oral Care Intervention on Dysphagia among Post- Extubation Patients

Abstract

Introduction: One of the most common causes of admission to the intensive care unit is the need for mechanical ventilation. Orotracheal intubation for life support can cause dysphagia and delay oral feeding after extubation. Hence, the current study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of swallowing and oral care intervention on dysphagia among post-extubation patients. Methods: Quasi-experimental research design was adopted to conduct the study with 60 samples that met the inclusion criteria at saveetha Medical College and Hospital. Samples were selected by convenience sampling and assigned to the experimental group (n=30) and the control group (n=30). Demographic and clinical variables were collected using multiple choice questionnaires followed by a pre-test assessment using the Gugging swallowing screen for both the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the swallowing and oral care intervention twice daily for five consecutive days. The control group received routine care at the hospital. The post-test assessment was done using the Gugging swallowing screen at the end of the 5th day of intervention for both the experimental and control group. Results: Out of 30 participants, more than 50% had slight dysphagia to moderate levels of dysphagia samples in both the experimental and control group. The pre-intervention mean score was compared with a post-intervention score in the experimental group by paired t-test, showing statistical significance (p<0.001). A significant (p<0.001) difference was also found between the experimental and control groups. The post-test level of dysphagia showed a statistically significant (p<0.05) association with the length of intubation in the experimental group. Conclusion: Based on the study findings, the swallowing and oral care intervention effectively reduces dysphagia and improves swallowing ability. Moreover, this intervention is safe, cost-effective, easy to administer, has no side effects, and it could practice even at home.