Threshold Optimization and Repeatability Analysis of the Dysphagia Risk Index Test
Fabiola Gaio, Alice Principe, Camilla Soravia
The percentage of dysphagic people in the elderly population is extremely high, not only among nursing home patients, but also among elderly people that rely on home care. For this reason, it is paramount that reliable standardized screening tests to assess the risk of developing dysphagia are implemented. Here, we examine the sensitivity and specificity of the Dysphagia Risk Index – IRD test (Leoci, Gaio, Baretter, & Bosco, 2004) at different cut-off values in order to establish the optimal thresholds that minimize false-negative and false-positive results and allow dysphagia to be identified in its early stages. In addition, we assess the inter-rater reliability and temporal repeatability (retesting after 3-7 days) of the IRD test. We demonstrate that the IRD is a highly reliable screening test, both with regard to the total score and the item score, and we provide guidelines for the correct administration of this screening test.
Keywords
Screening, Dysphagia risk, Frail elderly, Validation, Reliability, Sensitivity and specificity.
