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Summary of the Best Evidence for the Management of Swallowing Disorders in
Patients with Dementia

L. Yang and J. Tian 1
1

1
Chengde Medical University, Chengde Medical University, China

Background: Dementia is a central neurodegenerative disease mainly characterized by cognitive
impairment. Swallowing disorder is a complication that may occur in all stages of dementia, which
can lead to aspiration, aspiration pneumonia, and impair nutritional and hydration status. Most
studies have shown that the use of diet and behavior management can effectively improve
swallowing disorders in dementia patients.

Objective: At present, the relevant research content is sufficient but scattered, and there is still a
lack of systematic scientific summary of the best evidence that can be applied in clinical practice to
improve the quality of care for swallowing disorders in dementia patients. Therefore we searched
and summarized the relevant evidence of the management of swallowing disorders in patients with
dementia and to the relevant evidence.

Methods: We searched the UpToDate, BMJ Best Clinical Practices, International Guidelines Collaboration
Network, JBI, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, the Chinese biomedical literature database, CNKI,
Wanfang, and other relevant evidence on the management of swallowing disorders in patients with
dementia. It includes clinical practice guidelines, expert consensus, evidence summary, systematic review,
etc. The retrieval time limit is from database establishment till November 26, 2023. Two researchers
independently evaluated the literature quality, combined with professional judgment, and extracted the
literature that met the standards.

Results: Finally, 8 literatures were included, including one guideline, one clinical decision, four
evidence summaries, and two systematic reviews. A total of 19 pieces of evidence of the best evidence
on the management of swallowing disorders in patients with dementia were summarized. It includes
screening and evaluation, feeding behavior management, auxiliary training, education, and follow-up
monitoring.

Conclusion: This study summarized the best evidence of management of swallowing disorders
in patients with dementia. Nurses should actively translate evidence into clinical practice, and
formulate localized and personalized swallowing disorders management programs for dementia
patients based on the actual local medical resources and patients’ wishes.

Keywords: dementia, swallowing disorders, evidence summary
Poster Presentation Abstracts

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Correspondence: Jianli Tian, Chengde Medical University, Chengde Medical University, China
E-mail: cytianjianli@126.com

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