Reframing Dysphagia Documentation With a Person-Centered Approach

Course overview

How we document has a profound influence on people with dysphagia (and their family/caregivers). Practicing and documenting in a person-centered care (PCC) approach shifts the focus away from the traditional medical model and moves toward personal choice and autonomy for people and their families. The individuals we serve are people before patients. This session will discuss how prudent and effective interdisciplinary documentation across the continuum of care can help delineate a person's wishes. Thorough documentation also describes underlying swallow pathophysiology, guides differential diagnosis, and provides a prescriptive therapy program that meets the goals of care of the person. Good collaboration and communication are the keys to providing care in a person-centered approach. Attendees will discover how this shared decision-making approach requires increased detail in documentation. Presenters will discuss the process of obtaining informed consent, which not only protects a healthcare provider in litigation, but also makes sure that the person arrives at their informed decisions voluntarily and without coercion.