Knowledge gap in dysphagia: a study among nursing students in Nepal

Dysphagia is a swallowing difficulty that is primarily observed in patients with neurological, surgical, and geriatric conditions, posing significant risks for malnutrition, aspiration, and reduced quality of life (QoL). As part of the multidisciplinary team, nurses play a critical role in the early identification, monitoring, and management of dysphagia. This study aimed to identify the knowledge of dysphagia among nursing students in Nepal. Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the bachelor level’s nursing students of Maharajgunj Nursing Campus (MNC). Complete enumerative sampling method was adopted to collect the data from 206 nursing students. Data collection was done through self-administered questionnaire developed by Andrea Pickle Voight (2015). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive (frequency and percentage) and inferential statistics (chi-square) were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that students had a moderate level of knowledge of dysphagia (61%), and the knowledge has a significant association with age (p = 0.01), types of nursing program (p = 0.002), and no prior experience with dysphagia patients (p = 0.41). The nursing students at MNC demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge, which was significantly associated with their age and types of nursing program. Given that nurses play a critical role in dysphagia care, gaps in their knowledge may compromise patient management. Therefore, there is a clear need to strengthen dysphagia education within the Nepalese nursing curricula.