The Relationship between Early Dysphagia Screening and Incidence of Pneumonia among Acute Stroke Patients

Background: Post-stroke dysphagia is a common complication of acute stroke, which could increase the risk of mortality and aspiration pneumonia. Moreover, pneumonia is more common in patients with dysphagia compared to those without dysphagia. The early and accurate identification of post-stroke dysphagia is the key to the prevention of pneumonia, which may improve patient outcomes. Aim: This study aimed to assess the relationship between early dysphagia screening and the incidence of pneumonia among acute stroke patients. Setting: The study was conducted at the stroke and neurology intensive care units at As-Salam International Hospital. Subject: A purposive sample of (87) adult patients newly admitted with a diagnosis of acute stroke were included in the study. Tools: Two tools were used in this study, Tool I: patients’ structured interview questionnaire. It consists of patients’ demographic data, current and past history, and gugging swallowing screen. Tool II: Assessment of stroke-associated pneumonia. Results: The study findings revealed that 40% of the studied patients had dysphagia, and 4.6% of the studied patients had pneumonia with a statistically significant relation between the incidence of pneumonia and the incidence of dysphagia. As well as there was a positive correlation between early dysphagia screening and the incidence of pneumonia. Conclusion: there is a statistically significant relation between early dysphagia screening and the incidence of pneumonia among acute stroke patients. Recommendation: Early dysphagia screening practices should be applied to acute stroke dysphagia to reduce the incidence of pneumonia.