Current trends and identified gaps in dysphagia research in Africa: A scoping review

Abstract

Background: In the context of Africa and other resource-limited settings, there is a necessity to address the unique challenges faced by dysphagic patients and to better understand how healthcare professionals, including speech language pathologists (SLPs), can provide contextually and culturally responsive care given our unique healthcare context.
Objectives: Therefore, this scoping review aims to map and synthesise evidence relating to dysphagia research in Africa to understand trends as well as research and clinical gaps.
Method: An electronic search of CINAHL, Medline, Academic Search Premier, Global Health, PubMed was conducted in May 2024. Peer-reviewed, English-language articles published between 2015 and 2024 were retrieved. A total of 627 articles were screened, and 61 were included in the final review.
Results: Broadly, 60.7% of the articles stemmed from SA with 62.3% being conducted by SLPs. The articles predominantly focused on practice (n = 39, 63.9%) but also looked at aspects around prevalence, screening, assessment and teaching and learning. Research on dysphagia in Africa highlights the diverse patient populations affected by the condition and the need for interdisciplinary work.
Conclusion: There is a strong trend towards patient descriptions and the need for describing local data and developing tools that are appropriate for our contexts, but the gaps strongly highlight the need for multidisciplinary involvement in dysphagia, which is not being conducted.
Contribution: This study provides some insight into research being conducted in the African continent, including current trends and areas of future research.