Content Validity of the Swallowing Monitoring and Assessment Protocol for the Elderly

Abstract

Objectives: Since swallowing function changes with typical aging, it is important to elucidate the geriatric swallowing characteristics. Some swallowing features in the elderly may be related to geriatric diseases such as stroke, motor disorders, and dementia; in all of which early detection of swallowing problems can play a critical role in both diagnosis and intervention by utilizing a comprehensive evaluation tool. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to establish the content validity of evaluation items of the swallowing assessment protocol, which is under development. Methods: We trichotomized a total of 78 evaluation items from the ubiquitous swallowing assessment tools into three domains: self-report of swallowing function, self-report of swallowing-related quality-of-life, and clinical swallowing assessment. Ten speech-language pathologists (age, 43.60±5.99 years; clinical experience period, 15.00±6.63 years) responded to a 5-point Likert questionnaire to evaluate the content validity of the items. Based on these results, each Content Validity Index (CVI) was retrieved. The cut-off point of .75 was used as an indicator of items with good content validity. Results: The number of the evaluation items with the CVI exceeding the cut-off point of .75 were 66 in total, comprising 16 items regarding self-report of swallowing function, 22 of self-report regarding swallowing-related quality-of-life, and 18 regarding clinical swallowing assessment. Conclusion: These items are expected to be utilized for assessing the swallowing function of the community-dwelling elderly. By doing so, we may be able to detect and monitor dysphagia-related symptoms, often leading to aspiration pneumonia, weight loss, and/or elderly frailty.