Dysphagia

Abstract

Dysphagia is a diagnostic term which is used generically to represent any disorder of swallowing. Its characteristics, severity, and cause usually vary across the many different clinical populations in which it is commonly observed, and it can be quite debilitating. Diagnosis and treatment of this disorder usually require an interdisciplinary team effort. However, because many dysphagic patients present with coexistent medical and health-related problems, the authority and responsibility of each team member may vary from patient to patient. Perhaps the therapist is the team member whose qualifications and responsibilities are the most variable and unclear. Speech-language pathologists are among the different professionals who have been grappling with whether or not they are adequately trained and qualified to engage in the practice of swallowing therapy. The purposes of this paper are to (a) contrast the normal swallowing process with dysphagia, (b) highlight the differential diagnostic and treatment considerations of the disorder and, (c) discuss the controversial roles of the interdisciplinary team members.