This course will present current best information to help clinicians learn about conducting and interpreting a clinical swallowing evaluation for adults in typical medical settings. This course will not discuss specific diagnoses or complex conditions such as tracheostomy/ventilator dependence. This course is ideal for clinicians who need a refresher on the purpose, procedures, observable signs/symptoms, and nature of recommendations that result from a clinical swallowing evaluation for adult clients in medical settings. Information covered will include differences between screening and the clinical evaluation, procedures to conduct the clinical swallowing evaluation, observable signs/symptoms of dysphagia, language for documenting dysphagia in medical reports, diagnostic (ICD-10) codes for dysphagia, and recommendations that result from the clinical evaluation. Special emphasis will be placed on the nature of the clinical evaluation, risks for aspiration and aspiration pneumonia, and proper referral for instrumental assessments (MBS, FEES) when appropriate.
