The role of dietitians in the multidisciplinary team and the feeding of dysphagic stroke patients-Hungarian study presentation 2022

Abstract In the European Union, it is estimated that the number of people living with stroke will increase by 27% between 2017 and 2047, due to an ageing population and improved survival rates. Variations between countries are expected to continue, showing the potential for improving prevention and case management in Hungary. In acute stroke patients, the most common complication of aspiration due to dysphagia is aspiration pneumonia, which is often fatal. Failure to recognise and screen for dysphagia, in addition to increasing hospitalisation and treatment costs, also increases mortality. Dysphagia is also associated with malnutrition and sarcopenia, which worsen the outcome of stroke patients and the effectiveness of their rehabilitation. The majority of patients are already malnourished on admission to hospital, so the dietitian has a key role to play in assessing their nutritional status and in drawing up a nutrition plan to ensure that they are screened for dysphagia in good time and that a dysphagia diet adapted to the results is prescribed and followed. The present study assesses the knowledge, attitudes and needs of dietitians working in Hungarian health care institutions, mainly with stroke patients, regarding dysphagia, its complications and diet. The dietitians involved in the study, who were caring for stroke patients, identified malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia as the most common complications of dysphagia, but did not have a consistent approach to the diet of stroke patients with dysphagia. In order for dietitians to be able to follow the dysphagia management process and to apply it in practice to their patients with dysphagia, they need a standardized educational material and methodology based on the latest professional recommendations, which builds on and reflects the results of the present research.