Development and Validation of an Online Independent Training Program for TOR-BSST© Dysphagia Screeners

NCT05379699 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: HSF - G-20-0028667; AFP - n/a
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 82
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Dysphagia, swallowing difficulty, is common following stroke, affecting about 55% of all stroke patients. People with stroke and dysphagia are three times more likely to develop pneumonia compared to patients with no dysphagia. Stroke best practice guidelines recommend early identification of dysphagia by bedside testing (called screening) of all patients admitted to hospital with stroke. Our group was the first to develop a screening tool for stroke patients, the Toronto Bedside Swallowing Screening Test (TOR-BSST©). It uses a step-by-step process to identify patients with dysphagia risk. TOR-BSST© screeners are health professionals who have successfully completed a live 4-hr training provided by a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP). There is good evidence that this training increases the accuracy of screening. However, a 4-hr live session is not acceptable with limited healthcare resources. Our aim is to evaluate the accuracy of an innovative eLearning program to train TOR-BSST© screeners. If successful, this project will shorten training time, reduce hospital resource burden, and ensure a sustainable dysphagia screening program for people with stroke in all hospitals.

Conditions

Dysphagia; Stroke

Keywords

Stroke; Dysphagia; Screening; Randomized Controlled Trial; eLearning

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Online Test of Screener Accuracy (Module 4)

  An online test of screening accuracy completed following the live 1-on-1 observation

  30 minutes

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Online Assessment of Trained Screeners (Module 3)

  30 minutes

Study Arms (3)

1

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Standard 4-hour live screener training with 1-on-1 live observation by a speech-language pathologist.

Other: Standard TOR-BSST© Training

2

EXPERIMENTAL

New eLearning training with 1-on-1 live observation by a speech-language pathologist.

Other: TOR-BSST© eLearning Training

3

EXPERIMENTAL

New eLearning training with 1-on-1 live observation by a competency mentor.

Other: TOR-BSST© eLearning Training

Interventions

TOR-BSST© eLearning Training OTHER

An online self-directed training program for TOR-BSST© dysphagia screeners.

2; 3

Standard TOR-BSST© Training OTHER

Standard 4-hour in-person TOR-BSST© screener training conducted by a Speech-Language Pathologist.

1

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Any healthcare professional who has had no formal training in dysphagia screening and currently manages patients diagnosed with stroke.

You may not qualify if:

• Any healthcare professional who has had prior formal training in dysphagia screening

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University Health Network, Toronto: lead
• Lakeridge Health Corporation: collaborator
• Jewish General Hospital: collaborator
• Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, Red Deer, AB: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

University Health Network

Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2S8, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Deglutition Disorders; Stroke

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Esophageal Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Pharyngeal Diseases; Otorhinolaryngologic Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Study Officials

• Rosemary Martino, PhD

  University Health Network, Toronto

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Senior Scientist

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 12, 2022
• First Posted: May 18, 2022
• Study Start: October 1, 2020
• Primary Completion: February 15, 2023
• Study Completion: February 15, 2023
• Last Updated: June 23, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-06

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)