Cuidadores de pacientes com disfagia neurogênica: perfil e conhecimentos relacionados à alimentação

Abstract

Dysphagia is a symptom of one or more underlying problems, being a swallowing disorder with abnormal or obstruction sensation which prevents the passage of solid or liquid, from the oral cavity to the stomach. According to its etiology dysphagia is classified as neurogenic, mechanic, age-bound, psychogenic and induced by drugs. Dysphagia patients need care due to the high risk of aspiration during feeding. Casuistic: Forty caregivers of dysphagia patients who were seen at Hospital de Base in São José do Rio Preto in the period of May and June, 2002, who met the inclusion criteria, took part in the study. Methods: Study approved by the Ethics Committee. The patients were referred by the areas of clinical neurology, neurosurgery, general practice, geriatrics, gastroenterology to the Speech Therapy Service of Hospital de Base for evaluation and management. The caregiver answered a questionnaire prepared by the researcher herself about the caregiver’s profile and his knowledge about dysphagia. Results: The caregivers were mostly informal, young, literate, married, and female, without experience as caregiver. They showed little knowledge about dysphagia, rehabilitation, importance of oral feeding, thickness of adequate food, the importance of cough, the right posture, the use of enteral tube, risks and difficulties faced by the patients. Conclusion: The sample presented little knowledge relating dysphagia and the necessary care to a safe and effective feeding, showing the need for specific guidance from the very beginning of rehabilitation.