Translation and Validation of the TOR‐BSST Into Turkish for Stroke Patients

What is already known on the subject Dysphagia, prevalent in over half of stroke survivors, poses severe complications, including aspiration pneumonia. While Turkey faces high stroke mortality, limited validated dysphagia screening tools exist. Recent cultural adaptation studies focus on tools like The Barnes-Jewish Hospital Stroke Dysphagia Screen, The Gugging Swallowing Screen Test and The Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability. The Toronto Bedside Swallow Screening Test (TOR-BSST), a water-swallowing test for stroke patients, demonstrates accuracy. Adapting it to Turkish is crucial for effective bedside screening and managing dysphagia, offering significant benefits. This study translated TOR-BSST into Turkish, aiming to evaluate its validity and reliability in acute stroke patients, addressing a critical need in the Turkish stroke population. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This study addresses the pressing issue of dysphagia, a life-threatening complication following strokes in Turkey, where validated bedside screening tests are limited. The research translates and validates the TOR-BSST into Turkish, involving 60 stroke patients. The TOR-BSST-TR form, administered by trained speech-language pathologists, demonstrated high sensitivity (93.9%) and good specificity (85.2%) in comparison to videofluoroscopy, the gold standard. Inter-rater reliability was satisfactory, showcasing the tool's effectiveness in identifying dysphagia. The study contributes valuable insights into dysphagia assessment, offering a reliable and culturally adapted screening tool for stroke patients in Turkey. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The clinical implications of this study are significant for stroke patients in Turkey facing dysphagia. The successful translation and validation of the TOR-BSST into Turkish offer healthcare professionals a culturally adapted and reliable bedside screening tool. This tool demonstrates high sensitivity and good specificity in identifying dysphagia, providing a valuable resource for early detection and effective management. The study's findings imply that the TOR-BSST-TR can be a practical and accurate instrument for clinicians, aiding in timely intervention, reducing complications and improving patient outcomes. Incorporating this tool into routine clinical practice may enhance dysphagia screening, leading to better patient care and quality of life.