Exploring final-year nursing students’ experiences in dysphagia management at an Eastern Cape University

Abstract

Background: A multidisciplinary team approach is crucial for effectively assessing and managing dysphagia. With nurses as key players in healthcare, there is limited knowledge about nursing students’ experiences and exposure to dysphagia as part of their undergraduate training.
Objectives: To explore the experiences of final-year nursing students at a university in the Eastern Cape regarding dysphagia management.
Method: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological approach was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 final-year nursing students who had prior exposure to dysphagia management. Thematic analysis was used to analyse and identify key themes in the data.
Results: Four main themes emerged: (1) confidence and knowledge, (2) clinical exposure, (3) current dysphagia management practices and (4) development of clinical skills. The participants expressed varying levels of theoretical knowledge and clinical exposure regarding dysphagia management, with the majority reporting that the focus in their lectures was on the insertion of a nasogastric tube as part of dysphagia management. Exposure to dysphagia depended on which ward the students were placed in during the clinical training. There was notably limited knowledge among participants on the role of speech therapists in dysphagia management.
Conclusion: The expressed knowledge gaps and limited clinical exposure hindered nursing students’ confidence and competence in dysphagia management.
Contribution: This study highlights the importance of reevaluating the way dysphagia is taught to nursing students. By providing more theoretical and practical exposure and integrating interprofessional education, nursing students’ knowledge, confidence and practice in dysphagia can be improved.