Construction and Validation of the Mealtime and Dysphagia Questionnaire: An Instrument Designed to Assess Nursing Staff Reasons for Noncompliance with SLP Dysphagia and Feeding Recommendations

Abstract

The lack of compliance of nursing staff with SLP recommendations may be an important contribution to the swallowing and feeding problems of the elderly and the consequent elevated probability of aspiration pneumonia and other sequelae. There is a need to study the prevalence of noncompliance with SLP recommendations for swallowing and feeding and the reason for nursing staff noncompliance for dependent feeders. This researcher constructed and validated a 21-item instrument designed to assess the reasons for staff noncompliance with SLP recommendations using a sample of 180 nursing staffers in a nursing home. The instrument, entitled the Mealtime and Dysphagia Questionnaire (MDQ), was demonstrated to have adequate reliability and concurrent validity. In addition, analyses were conducted that suggested that RNs were less compliant than CNAs. RNs indicated that they had less knowledge and regarded feeding of patients as more of a nuisance than CNAs. The major reason for RNs' noncompliance was lack of knowledge and CNAs' noncompliance was disagreement with the SLP's recommendations. The implications for SLP and nursing practice were discussed.