My Nursing Practicum Project on Dysphagia Screening

My Nursing Practicum Project on Dysphagia Screening
For the last several weeks, I have been working on my nursing practicum project on dysphagia screening among stroke patients to reduce the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Dysphagia screening within 4-24 hours after admission of stroke patients is recommended (Eltringham et al., 2018), although adherence to this recommendation is limited (Sivertsen et al., 2017). The specific purpose of the project is to investigate and establish whether early dysphagia screening among newly diagnosed stroke patients reduces the risk of aspiration pneumonia. To achieve the objectives I set at the beginning of the project, I have engaged in various activities that will be highlighted in this paper. This paper aims to summarize the status of the project objectives and report the progress of the project.
Status of the Project Objectives
The project objectives are:
* Developing a process improvement proposal about early dysphagia screening for presentation to key stakeholders
* Developing a pre/post-test evaluation tool to gather information about early dysphagia screening
* Creating a patient education program about dysphagia screening and dysphagia prevention interventions for patients to enhance patient adherence to dysphagia recommendations
* Creating and delivering training to nurses about dysphagia screening among stroke patients to ensure this is a common practice in their patient care routine
I have been able to achieve the last two objectives so far, although some final touches need to be done to ensure the full achievement of the objectives. To achieve these objectives, I have engaged in several activities such as education, training and teaching, and sending huddle messages. I am yet to complete the patient education program, but I have already printed materials that will be used to educate patients about dysphagia screening and its benefits to ensure that patients adhere to dysphagia recommendations, including dietary recommendations. So far, I have tested some of the materials I have printed on a few patients. Educating patients on dysphagia is important in ensuring they follow the recommendations even without direct supervision from healthcare professionals (Krekeler et al., 2018). I hope to achieve this when I am done with the project.
I have also provided nurses with training materials and trained them on how to perform a dysphagia assessment using the GUSS tool. The tool also provides...