The Phoniatrician’s role is:

• Identifying signs and symptoms of dysphagia;
• Identifying normal and abnormal swallowing anatomy and physiology supported by imaging;
• Identifying indications and contraindications specific to each patient for various assessment procedures;
• Identifying signs of potential disorders in the upper aerodigestive and/or digestive tracts and making referrals to appropriate medical personnel;
• Assessing swallow function as well as analyzing and integrating information from such assessments collaboratively with medical professionals, as appropriate;
• Providing treatment for swallowing disorders, documenting progress, adapting and adjusting treatment plans based on patient performance
• Identifying and using appropriate functional outcome measures;
• Understanding a variety of medical diagnoses and their potential impact(s) on swallowing;
• Recognizing possible contraindications to clinical decisions and/or treatment;
• Being aware of typical age-related changes in swallow function;
• Providing education and counseling to individuals and caregivers;
• Respecting issues related to quality of life for individuals and/or caregivers;
• Practicing interprofessional collaboration;
• Advocating for services for individuals with swallowing and feeding disorders;
• Determining the effectiveness and possible impact of current diet on overall health (e.g., positioning, feeding dependency, environment, diet modification, compensations). 

➡️Purpose

Appraisal of the research evidence that exists to support the use of instrumental measures in the clinical assessment of patients with PSOPD. And outline the measures used in its management.

Specifically,  the  goals  are  to  improve  diagnostic  accuracy,  identify  post stroke cases  who  are  most  susceptible  to  OPD,  and  educate  clinicians  regarding  assessment and rehabilitation 

➡️The target audience   

The guideline is intended for all clinicians who are likely to diagnose and manage OPD