The awareness and knowledge of dysphagia among health care practitioners in Egypt

Background There is a lack of research relating to awareness associated with dysphagia-specific knowledge of health care practitioners in Egypt. The study aimed at determining the level of awareness and knowledge of dysphagia among health care practitioners in Egypt to detect the pitfalls to be addressed through awareness-raising programs. Methods A questionnaire was distributed online to be filled in by health care practitioners apart from those with the highest knowledge about dysphagia as otolaryngologists, phoniatricians, and gastroenterologists. It consists of 4 sections including sociodemographic data, the participants’ level of awareness and knowledge about dysphagia through questions about dysphagia identification, symptoms and signs, and complications, data about the practice of dysphagia in their hospitals, and their level of awareness and knowledge of the role played by the phoniatricians in dysphagia management in addition to the availability of this specialty in their centers. Results Forty-seven percent of the participants rated themselves as having moderate to high contract with dysphagia cases. Sixty-six percent of the participants did not receive training in dysphagia. Only 18.1% of the participants indicated the presence of a dysphagia clinic in their institute. Forty percent of the participants refer dysphagia cases to GIT followed by 37.8% of the participants refer to ENT then 18.6% of them refer to Phoniatrics. Forty-six percent of the participants do not know the investigations work-up for dysphagia. Conclusion Egyptian health care practitioners in the Greater Cairo area encountered in this study differ in their knowledge and awareness level about dysphagia according to their specialties and their degree of contact with dysphagia cases. Minimal awareness was found in specialties with low contact. Fair awareness was found in specialties with moderate to high contact with dysphagia cases. There was insufficient knowledge about non-overt symptoms and signs of dysphagia, the widely used investigations, and the role of phoniatricians in dealing with dysphagia cases. Neurology was the specialty with a relatively higher awareness.