Barriers and Enablers to Nurses Routinely Screening for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Hospitalised Older Adults: An Evidence Synthesis of Qualitative Studies

Smith, Caroline ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5993-4591, Bernhardt, Lizelle, Birt, Linda, Clark, Allan ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2965-8941, Hansjee, Dharinee, Manning, Joseph C., MacDiarmid, Lynn, Parmar, Paresh, Robertson, Noelle and Wright, David (2026) Barriers and Enablers to Nurses Routinely Screening for Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Hospitalised Older Adults: An Evidence Synthesis of Qualitative Studies. Journal of Advanced Nursing. ISSN 0309-2402

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Abstract

Aim: To identify and describe the barriers and enablers to nurses routinely screening for dysphagia in hospital and map these to domains in the Theoretical Domains Framework. Design: Systematic review with meta-ethnography. Data Base Sources: CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Clinical Trials and World Health Organisation trials registry (database inception to November 2024). Methods: The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024608080). Studies set in stroke and older adult wards were included. Data were coded as barriers or enablers, mapped to the original authors' themes and then synthesised into higher-level themes. Barrier and enabler codes were also mapped to domains in the Theoretical Domains Framework. Results: From 6750 studies identified, six were included. None of the included papers were conducted in an older adult ward setting. Four high-level themes were developed: (i) The surrounding environment, (ii) Variation in practice, (iii) Influence of knowledge and skills, and (iv) The value of dysphagia screening. Identified barriers and enablers were predominantly mapped to ‘Environmental context and resources,’ ‘Knowledge,’ ‘Beliefs about capabilities’ and ‘Beliefs about consequences’ Theoretical Domains Framework domains. Conclusions: For successful dysphagia screening, nurses require adequate training, a standardised screening tool and sufficient environmental support. Further work is required to contextualise these findings specifically to older adult ward settings. Impact: To introduce routine nurse screening for dysphagia into different contexts, this paper provides guidance on how to set up and create a theory informed service. Mapping of barriers and enablers to the Theoretical Domains Framework can facilitate the development of a behaviour change intervention through the framework's linkage to a taxonomy of behaviour changes strategies.

Item Type:	Article
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Norwich Medical School Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry, Pharmacy and Pharmacology
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Epidemiology and Public Health Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Groups > Health Services and Primary Care Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Statistics Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > Research Centres > Norwich Institute for Healthy Aging
Related URLs:	https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.70749
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	11 Sep 2026 10:37
Last Modified:	13 Sep 2026 08:51
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/104490
DOI:	10.1111/jan.70749

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