Presentation of a Clinical Practice Protocol for Patients with Swallowing Disorders

Purpose  To describe the implementation process of a Clinical Practice Protocol for Patients with Swallowing Disorders (CPSD) in a public hospital of high technological density in the Federal District of Brazil.

Methods  This is an Experience Report study which describes the implementation process of a Clinical Practice Protocol for Patients with Swallowing Disorders in a public hospital of high technological density in the Federal District.

Results  The protocol was implemented in three stages: Stage 1 - literature search on the procedures that characterize the best propaedeutic and therapeutic practices; Stage 2 - discussion with a multidisciplinary team about the adjustments needed to implement the CPSD; and Stage 3 - Final proposal for the protocol implementation considering the particularities of the service.

Conclusion  The final proposal of the Clinical Practice Protocol for Patients with Swallowing Disorders (CPSD) provides a predefined, systematic method to monitor patients with swallowing disorders in high technological density health facilities. In addition to being inexpensive, the CPSD fosters decision-making, favors early detection of disorders, and assists managers with evaluating the quality of the service offered.

Keywords
Deglutition; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Clinical Protocol; Dysphagia; Swallowing Disorders