Aspiration Pneumonia and the Role of the SLP: Using Evidence To Determine risks Associated With Oral Feeding

Course overview

This course is a must for all dysphagia clinicians. SLPs are commonly consulted to identify the likelihood that a patient's "aspiration pneumonia" was dysphagia-related and then to intervene accordingly. SLPs are also asked to predict and mitigate risk of future dysphagia-related respiratory diseases based on assessment findings. Yet, SLPs receive little formal training in the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system and in the differential diagnosis of the various types of pneumonia. In this course, James Coyle, PhD, summarizes anatomy and physiology and current literature to facilitate the objective estimation of dysphagia-related pneumonia risk, and provides information on the decision-making process to determine the use of oral or non-oral nutrition.