Authors (including presenting author) :
Miss Tsoi Hiu Ying
Miss So Hiu Tung
Miss Yan Lai Hung
Miss Wong Ka Ying
Mr Wong Chuen Yiu
Affiliation :
United Christian Hospital
Haven of Hope Hospitial
Introduction :
Dysphagia is prevalent in elderly globally and its impacts are significant. Thickener usage is one of the solutions. However, studies show that knowledge deficit of thickener use is an important barrier in dysphagia care for patients, their caregivers, as well as healthcare workers. Also, there is no structural training or education of using thickener and dysphagia management to staff or patient’s carer.
With the advancement of technology, smart technology application should be considered clinically.
Objectives :
1. To enhance nurses, dysphagia patients and their caregivers' knowledge and satisfaction on dysphagia care by understanding thickener use, feeding techniques, and signs of choking via smart education;
2. To improve the quality of nursing interventions by developing educational materials with use of smart technology
Methodology :
This project is divided into two parts. One part is educational program to staff and caregivers. Another part is designing educational materials presented through TEMI.
Firstly, it was a 20-minutes enhancement training workshop for 20 nursing staff in geriatric wards of the United Christian Hospital. A questionnaire was completed before and after the workshop to evaluate its effectiveness, as well as the satisfactory evaluation with the workshop via QR code.
Then, a dysphagia education programme was done for selected patients and their caregivers . An informative video on thickener use and feeding techniques was filmed which was accessible and displayed to patients and caregivers during visiting hours through TEMI or ward electronic tablets after
taking the informed consent. Afterwards, a face-to-face consultation with nurses was available for inquiries. Pre and post questionnaires were given to them to evaluate the effectiveness. The caregivers were also required to return-demonstrate the use of thickener and feeding techniques to assess their knowledge and skills after the education. Finally, a cue card with QR code containing the video was given to patients or caregivers for revising.
Result & Outcome :
In the nursing group, the result showed that nursing knowledge on thickeners use and dysphagia are overall improved after the workshop. Majority of nurses agreed that using smart technology like TEMI and QR code could reduce their workload and enhance working efficiency.
Regarding patients and caregivers’ groups, significant increases of knowledge on thickener use and dysphagia were shown. Both the nursing group and patients and caregivers’ group were satisfied with the use of smart technology for education.
In conclusion, Education programmes on dysphagia management with application of smart technology have been found effective for the nursing staff, patients with dysphagia and their caregivers in terms of knowledge enhancement and workload reduction. Results also showed that the use of smart technology promotes healthcare delivery more efficiently. Therefore, more extensive usage of smart technology clinically should be considered.
