Abstract
Purpose: The aim of the study was to develop and test the Groppo-Lawless nurse-initiated screen designed to identify patients diagnosed with pneumonia who are at risk for dysphagia.
Design: This is a two-phase methodological study.
Methods: Phase 1 involved three steps. First, risk factors (n = 27) for dysphagia were identified from the literature. Next, frequency of these risk factors was calculated from a chart review of patients diagnosed with pneumonia (N = 301). Finally, frequency of risk factors among those patients who failed the 3-oz water trial (n = 56) were calculated, and a five-item instrument, the Groppo-Lawless Dysphagia Screen, was constructed. In Phase 2, nurses' results using the screen were compared to blinded results of speech-language pathologists.
Findings: Sensitivity (81.1%), specificity (96.4%), and diagnostic odds ratio (22.43) were calculated.
Conclusions/Clinical Relevance: Given the strong psychometric properties of this screen, its use by nurses may increase the number of appropriate speech-language pathologist referrals among patients diagnosed with pneumonia.