ORIGINAL PAPER CRITERION VALIDITY OF THE SELF-REPORT DYSPHAGIA ASSESSMENT TOOL EAT-10 AMONG NEUROLOGICAL PATIENTS

Abstract Aim: The aim was to study criterion validity of the Czech version of the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) by comparing it with the Nursing Dysphagia Screening Tool (NDST). Moreover, the aim was to compare three items of the EAT-10 that focused on swallowing liquids (EAT3) and solids (EAT4) and on cough while eating (EAT9) with one item of the NDST, the swallow test (NDST8). Design: The design was cross-sectional. Methods: The sample included 57 hospitalized patients with a neurological condition. Their swallowing function was assessed using the EAT-10 and NDST. The relationship between the dichotomized EAT-10 and NDST and the selected items of both tools was expressed using the association coefficient phi (φ). Results: For all the studied EAT-10 cut-off scores, the relationship between the EAT-10 and NDST was negative; it was the strongest for a cut-off score of 15 (phi = -0.795; p <0.001). In all but one case, the relationship between the three items of the EAT-10 and the NDST8 was negative; it was the strongest for EAT3 (cut-off score of 3; phi = -0.701; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The results do not provide evidence for criterion validity of the EAT-10 using the NDST. Further research is recommended