Dysphagia Assessment and Treatment Planning

Book excerpt: Dysphagia Assessment and Treatment Planning: A Team Approach, Fourth Edition is an ideal resource for dysphagia courses in speech-language pathology graduate programs. The unique value of this book is its multidisciplinary approach. Too often, speech- language pathologists function clinically with insufficient interaction with, or understanding of, the roles of other professionals involved with their patients. This text incorporates information pertinent to the roles, tools, and views of a multidisciplinary dysphagia team, including physicians, speech pathologists, nurse specialists, and dietitians, who work together on a daily basis. In this fourth edition, the organization has changed, with chapters concerned with assessment techniques coming first, and material addressing special populations comprising the latter portion of the text. This reflects what is likely a more typical approach to dysphagia in graduate courses concerned with the topic and one that complements teaching of the subject matter. Updates to the fourth edition include: The treatment chapter (Chapter 10) has been updated to reflect the current status of therapeutic approaches previously considered in treating dysphagic patients. Chapters dealing with nursing (Chapter 11) and nutrition (Chapter 12) have been updated to incorporate the latest recommendations in nursing care and dietary considerations for patients experiencing dysphagia. The pediatrics chapter (Chapter 13) has been expanded to address specific problems and needs not only of infants but also the entire spectrum of childhood. A chapter devoted to the esophagus (Chapter 14) addresses new information on the management of esophageal disorders, including the novel double-balloon dilation of the UES and a device for manually opening the upper esophagus. Chapters addressing special populations, including neurogenic disease (Chapter 15) and head and neck cancer (Chapter 16), incorporate the latest informatio