Pilot Action Research Focused on Optimising the FEES Procedure through Support Materials in Clinical SpeecH-Language Pathology Practice

Česká verze

Authors: Firešová Tereza ; Včelíková Veronika
Authors place of work: Katedra speciální a inkluzivní pedagogiky Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity, Poříčí 945/9, 603 00 Brno, Česká republika. ; Ordinace klinické logopedie – PaedDr. Milena Mezlíková, Široká 16, 664 91 Ivančice, Česká republika. E-mail: tereza. firesova@seznam. cz.
Published in the journal: Listy klinické logopedie 2026; 10(1): 58-67
Category: Varia
doi: https://doi.org/10.36833/lkl.2026.015

Summary

Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) is a standard instrumental method for diagnosing dysphagia in adult patients. With the growing prevalence of neurological, neurodegenerative and chronic diseases, particularly among older adults, there is an increasing need for diagnostic procedures that are not only clinically valid, but also organisationally efficient and understandable to the patient. The effectiveness of FEES is significantly influenced by the patient’s level of awareness, their cooperation, and the organisation of the diagnostic process.

The aim of the study was to optimise the FEES process through the creation and pilot testing of support materials in clinical speech-language pathology practice. The study was conducted using action research methodology at the Department of Clinical Speech-Language Pathology at St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno. During the diagnostic phase, direct observation of eight FEES examinations was performed, based on which three problematic areas were identified: insufficient patient education, the absence of a structured medical history, and inconsistent documentation of the examination. Based on these findings, three tools were developed: an educational leaflet, a standardised FEES record sheet, and a questionnaire on subjective swallowing difficulties. These tools were pilot-tested on four patients and iteratively modified, based on feedback from both healthcare staff and patients.

The results suggest that the implementation of purpose-built support materials can contribute to increase clarity of the diagnostic process, to improve communication, and to better prepare the patient for the examination. Although the development of these materials was inspired by the needs of older hospitalised patients, their use appears to be broader, particularly among patients with neurogenic dysphagia. However, given the small sample size, these findings should be interpreted as preliminary and requiring further validation.

Keywords:

dysphagia, FEES, flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, patient education, clinical speech-language pathology, action research, support materials

Zdroje

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