Medication Administration in the Dysphagia Patient - Helping the Medicine Go Down - SOD

Course overview

Pills are difficult to swallow for everyone - and even more so for people with swallowing disorders. People with dysphagia are disproportionately impacted by medication errors and Speech-Language Pathologists and Nurses are often asked to identify the safest way to administer medications to people with dysphagia. This course provides participants with information about how pill swallowing affects normal swallow physiology and the impact on people with dysphagia. Medication formulations will be reviewed and strategies for safe swallowing will be provided. Legal implications of altering medications such as crushing tablets, opening capsules, or adding thickeners will be reviewed. Participants will be provided with strategies for improving safe medication administration and reducing medication administration errors in the dysphagia population.