Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34192210›Full record

ArticleThe South African journal of physiotherapy2021

Dysphagia in cervical spinal cord injury: How international literature trends can guide South African practice patterns - A scoping review.

Kim A Coutts

Open access · goldAbstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in The South African journal of physiotherapy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 29% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Current trends and identified gaps in dysphagia research in Africa: A scoping review.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings · 2025
    Article
  2. Feeding practices in public hospitals' neonatal intensive care units: An exploration into the ways in which COVID-19 affected the best practice in Gauteng.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Kim A CouttsDepartment of Speech Pathology, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7582-0829
University of the Humanities · MN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe limited data regarding dysphagia in high-level spinal cord injuries (SCIs) stem from economically developed countries. Dysphagia is prevalent in patients with cervical SCI; however, in a South African context, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are not seen as key when managing this population. This may result in patients not being screened or identified early, leading to possible complications. The literature could provide useful insight on how best to address this clinical gap.

objectivesThe aim of my study was to conduct a scoping review on the description of dysphagia, the risk factors for developing dysphagia post-SCI and the practice patterns of team members working with dysphagia in cervical SCIs.

methodsA five-step scoping review was undertaken. Data were analysed by using descriptive statistics as well as a thematic analysis by using a top-down approach.

resultsThrough the process of screening according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 25 articles were included. Primarily, the pharyngeal phase was affected, which can lead to an aspiration pneumonia. The key risk factors were the presence of a tracheostomy tube, the use of ventilation and anterior spinal cord surgery. There was little mention regarding specific practice patterns, but an interdisciplinary approach was suggested as the most efficient model.

conclusionsSpecific guidelines and management options need to be considered for a South African context, given the high incidence of trauma-related injuries. There needs to be locally produced research, providing suggestions on how different team members can screen and identify dysphagia within this population. Solutions need to be unique, and contextually responsive and appropriate. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The team members and the roles of these different team members need to be re-examined in order to ensure the early identification and management of cervical SCI patients who are at risk of developing a dysphagia.

Indexed as

dysphagiainterdisciplinarymultidisciplinarypractice patternsscope of practicescoping reviewspeech pathologyspinal cord injury

Identifiers

PMID34192210
PMCPMC8182465
OpenAlexW3162999696

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.