Deglutologist Practices and Perceptions of the Penetration-Aspiration Scale: A Survey Study

Successful dysphagia management requires accurate, succinct diagnosis and characterization of swallowing safety impairments. However, the Penetration-Aspiration Scale (PAS) remains the only available tool developed exclusively for assessment of airway protection. To best support efforts to advance the field’s understanding of swallowing safety, it is crucial to understand current clinician practice patterns, perceptions, and accuracy regarding the PAS. A 46-item survey was developed and distributed to deglutologists internationally examining: (1) Demographics; (2) Scale Practices; (3) Swallowing Safety Priorities; (4) Scale Perceptions; and (5) Accuracy. The first four sections consisted of questionnaires. In the optional fifth section, respondents were asked to score five videos of swallows collected via videofluoroscopy and previously PAS-scored by two trained raters. In total, 335 responses were analyzed. The majority of respondents self-reported PAS training (84%); 90% of untrained respondents were receptive to training. Respondents reported using the PAS “always” (40%) or “frequently” (29%), and that the PAS carries “a great deal of” weight in assessment (40%). Reported application of the PAS was heterogeneous, with the most common approach being “single worst score per unique presentation” (45%). Most respondents (64%) prioritized a parameter not captured by the PAS. Untrained respondents were significantly more confident with PAS ratings than trained respondents (X2 = 7.47; p = 0.006). Of 1460 PAS ratings provided, 364 of them were accurate (25%) when compared to ratings by trained lab members. Results of this survey reflect ubiquitous use of the PAS, unmet needs for assessment of swallowing safety, low accuracy despite generally high confidence, and heterogenous training that does not correspond to confidence. This emphasizes the need for additional training in clinical application of the PAS as well as development of novel metrics to optimize assessments of swallowing safety.