Preparing for IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative) - SOD

Course overview

For the last 15-20 years, most healthcare facilities have followed some version of the National Dysphagia Diet (NDD) while working with patients' diet levels. The specific version has depended on each dietary department's policies and interpretations of the NDD. Yet despite even the best of team efforts, we have continued to see significant texture variations and risks with the different dietary standards. So in 2012 an international group of professionals came together to discuss the idea of developing international dysphagia diet standards that would meet the needs of all individuals with dysphagia. The subsequent result of their research and collaboration is The International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI), which is a global standard with terminology and definitions to describe texture modified foods and thickened liquids used for individuals with dysphagia of all ages, in all care settings, and for all cultures. This course provides an overview of the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative, to include definitions, testing protocols and details for each of the 8 levels (0-7) within the IDDSI framework. Following the course, attendees will be empowered with tools and ideas to initiate their own implementation of IDDSI.