The Effects of Sensory Stimulation for Ingestion in Dysphagic Patients with Stroke

뇌졸중 환자의 구강인두 기능회복을 위한 감각 자극의 효과

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of a nursing intervention using sensory stimulation in dysphagic patients. Quasi-experimental with a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. 15 patients of each group were assigned for this study, who were hospitalized in the oriental medicine hospital of K. University. Specific stimulation plans were devised based on a dysfunctional area of the subjects. For each modality, subjects were systematically stimulated for 30 minutes, in the experimental group prior to each meal and 3 times per day for a week. The data were analyzed by SPSS PC program using $X^2$-test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and Mann-Whitney U test. The results of this study are as follows : 1. The tongue control score of the experimental group is greater than that of the control group(u=52.0, p=.007). 2. The score of chewing ability, lip control, swallowing ability of the experimental group is greater than that of the control group. But no difference is statistically seen between the experimental group and control group. Therefore, this study shows that sensory stimulation using icing, quick stretch, etc., was effective in improving or oropharyngeal function in patients with dysphagia.