Journal of Preventive Medicine

Potential of nursing care using KT (Kuchi-Kara Taberu) index radar chart for elderly patients with dysphagia to live like human beings

9^th Edition of International Conference on Preventive Medicine & Public Health
July 16-17, 2018 London, UK

Yumiko Aruga, Ayako Saito and Yuji Aoki

National Hospital Organization Matsumoto Medical Center, Japan

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Prev Med

DOI: 10.21767/2572-5483-C1-003

Abstract

Aim & Background: Oropharyngeal dysphagia increases with age and can have devastating health implications, such as malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia. Elderly patients admitted to the ward E3 (mixed specialties) often have eating and swallowing problems. Here we assessed those problems of elderly patients with dysphagia on admission. Subjects & Methods: Thirteen patients with dysphagia (age, 87.1±11.4 (mean±SD); body mass index (BMI), 17.8±3.1) were assessed by the Kuchi-Kara Taberu (KT or ingesting orally in English) index and malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST). The KT index consists of 13 items rated 1 (worst) to 5 (best) points by noninvasive tests, which was recently developed by Koyama et al. in Japan to comprehensively assess and intervene in dysphagia. Results: The elderly patients with dysphagia admitted to the ward 3E had a trait of malnutrition and poor activities on the whole as shown in Figure 1. Out of 13 patients, 4 patients underwent percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (gastrostomy feeding), who had a significantly (p<0.05, unpaired t test) lower score of respiratory condition and higher score of MUST compared with those of the other patients (3.3±0.5 vs. 4.3 ±1.0 and 5.3±1.0 vs. 3.0±1.7). Continuing nursing care with the KT index enabled them to eat orally again. Conclusion: It was suggested that nursing care using the KT index radar chart for elderly patients with dysphagia could improve quality of life, even after gastrostomy feeding is initiated. Such feeding support using KT index may be suitable for individual patients to live like human beings.

Biography

Yumiko Aruga is a Staff Nurse on the ward E3 of Nursing Department, National Hospital Organization Matsumoto Medical Center. She was a certified care worker in 2002 and got a BS degree in Nursing at Matsumoto Medical Association Nursing School, Matsumoto, Japan in 2006. She is mainly working in Elder Care. Her research interest includes Nursing care, Elder care, Oral care.

E-mail: yumi.a7160@gmail.com