Exam Pass Notes

Use these notes for a final review before the assessment. They summarise the course's key messages but do not replace local dysphagia policy, the resident's current swallowing plan, medicines advice or your service's first-aid procedure.

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Core messages

• Dysphagia means difficulty with eating, drinking or swallowing.
• It can cause coughing, choking, dehydration, malnutrition, chest infections and aspiration pneumonia.
• Anyone showing signs of dysphagia should be referred for assessment by clinicians with swallowing expertise.
• Carers help most by noticing change promptly, following the exact plan and escalating concerns clearly.
• A detailed swallowing plan is safer than vague terms such as soft diet.

Safer day-to-day practice

• Provide the exact food texture and drink consistency specified in the resident's current plan.
• Use IDDSI or your local terminology where the plan uses it; avoid vague descriptions such as soft diet.
• Do not improvise with thickeners, alter textures, crush medicines, or share prescribed thickeners between residents.
• Support the resident with appropriate posture, pace, supervision and a calm environment.
• Look for coughing, a wet-sounding voice, retained food in the mouth, weight loss, dehydration, fear of eating and recurrent chest infections.
• Record events clearly and notify the responsible clinician when the plan is unclear or no longer effective.

Choking basics

• Suspect acute choking if a person suddenly cannot speak or cannot cough, especially during eating.
• If they can cough effectively, encourage them to continue coughing.
• If the cough is ineffective, give up to five back blows, then up to five abdominal thrusts.
• Call 999 if the obstruction is not relieved and continue the cycle following local guidance.
• Do not perform blind finger sweeps. Start CPR if the person becomes unresponsive.
• Arrange a healthcare review after successful abdominal thrusts or chest compressions.

For the exam, remember: notice warning signs, follow the swallowing plan exactly, support safer mealtimes, record clearly and act quickly if choking becomes an emergency.