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The gold standard for assessing oropharyngeal dysphagia is evaluation by a speech–language pathologist, who might use videofluoroscopy or fiber-optic nasopharyngoscopy to confirm suspected dysphagia and aspiration. However, an initial bedside swallowing evaluation by a patient's primary clinician often is appropriate. For this meta-analysis, researchers identified studies in which adults underwent bedside water-swallow testing — they were given a thin liquid and observed for coughing, choking, throat clearing, or change in voice. Studies were included only if videofluoroscopy or nasoendoscopy served as reference standards.
Twenty-two studies — involving 4617 patients with various neurological and other disorders who were in acute-care hospit…