Improving Compliance With Swallowing Exercise to Decrease Radiotherapy-Related Dysphagia in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer
Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing
Zhu, J., Wang, X., et al. (2023).
Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing, 10(1), 100169.
This integrative review examines factors influencing swallowing exercise compliance in adults with radiotherapy-associated dysphagia post-treatment head and neck cancer. Conclusions pertaining to modifiable factors affecting compliance and acceptability of swallowing exercises are reported in this summary.
National Natural Science Foundation (China); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation in 2018
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Thirteen studies addressed psychosocial factors related to compliance and six studies addressed treatment-related factors. Overall, the findings suggest that social support improved compliance with swallowing exercises. Specifically, face-to-face clinician-directed treatment provided by an SLP had better adherence to swallowing exercises compared to self-directed treatment. Three studies also reported that self-efficacy and understanding of dysphagia positively correlated to increased compliance. The involvement of concomitant cancer-related treatment or radiation-associated adverse effects (e.g., pain, fatigue) significantly reduced compliance with swallowing exercises.
