Dysphagia Management for Adults in Community and Home Settings in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review

Information from the abstract

Background: Dysphagia is common in stroke, aging, and chronic disease, yet management beyond acute hospital settings remains poorly understood. In LMICs, where rehabilitation services are limited and community-based care is increasingly important, evidence on home- and community-based dysphagia management remains fragmented. Objectives: To map the existing evidence on dysphagia management for adults in community and home settings in LMICs, identifying management approaches, populations, outcomes, barriers, and facilitators. Materials and Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and reported in accordance with PRISMA-ScR. Five electronic databases were searched from January 2016 to March 2026. Studies were eligible if they examined dysphagia management among adults in community or home settings in LMICs. Results: A total of 971 records were identified through database searches and supplementary citation tracking. Ten studies were included in the review. All studies included were conducted in upper-middle-income countries. Management approaches included structured swallowing exercise programs, technology-assisted interventions, caregiver-led feeding strategies, and community rehabilitation models. Reported outcomes included swallowing function, quality of life, and exercise adherence. Key barriers encompassed workforce shortages, limited caregiver training, financial constraints, and inadequate infrastructure. Facilitators included family support networks, community volunteer involvement, and digital health technologies. Conclusion: Evidence on community-based dysphagia management in LMICs remains limited and is concentrated in upper-middle-income countries. No studies were identified from low-income countries, limiting the representativeness of the current evidence base. Future research should prioritize underserved settings, caregiver and long-term health outcomes, and scalable, resource-appropriate models of care.

Why this record is monitored

This record has an Impact Signal of 86/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: Dysphagia Assessment and Management · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · Cervical and Thoracic Myelopathy