The dietitian’s role in diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia

Abstract

This chapter aims to provide an overview of the registered dietitian’s role and the commonplace feeding dilemmas present at the practical level when applying the modified textured prescription for food and fluids in adults with dysphagia. The dietitian is one of a range of professionals involved in service provision, and there is an increased emphasis on an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary team approach to care for people with dysphagia at both the acute and the community levels. The role of the dietitian can be wide ranging, from traditional nutritional management to a whole-systems approach encompassing screening, assessment, diagnosis and organisation of the modified textures within a dynamic nutritional framework. A person-centred approach is essential to provide nutrition in a mode which not only sustains nutrition and hydration integrity but also serves to enhance the individual’s quality of life.