At a glance - Comparison of two approaches to screen for dysphagia among acute ischemic stroke patients: Nursing admission screening tool versus National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale

JRRD at a Glance

Comparison of two approaches to screen for dysphagia among acute ischemic stroke patients: Nursing admission screening tool versus National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale

Dawn M. Bravata, MD, et al.

We compared two methods of screening for dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) among veterans hospitalized with a stroke. The first method used a new questionnaire that was developed for nurses to give at admission to the hospital. This questionnaire asked stroke patients about 11 symptoms of dysphagia, e.g., cough after swallowing. The second method looked at the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), which measures the severity of a stroke and can also identify the presence of dysphagia. We found that the NIHSS better identified dysphagia than the 11 items from the nursing admission questionnaire.

Volume 46 Number 9, 2009
Pages 1127 — 1134

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