Educating future nurse practitioners and physician associates on pretreatment of swallowing in head and neck cancer
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Abstract
Research has shown that interventions for head and neck cancer frequently have long-term effects on swallowing (Tolentino et al., 2010); however, patients who follow a swallow exercise regimen implemented by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) before and during cancer treatment are more likely to tolerate a regular diet (Duarte et al., 2013). This study investigated the impact of an educational module for future physician associates and nurse practitioners to improve knowledge and awareness of this clinical issue. This research aimed to measure current health profession students' knowledge of the impact of speech-language pathologists' role in the pretreatment of head and neck cancer patients to prevent the development of severe swallowing deficits. This study utilized a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design involving two distinct professional groups: physician associates and nurse practitioners. Identical educational modules were conducted for each group, focusing on the role of SLPs in head and neck cancer pretreatment. The analysis involved comparing overall and inter-group pretest-posttest score differences and inter-group posttest score differences to evaluate the training's efficacy and its differential impact on the two groups. Analyses revealed significant improvements in both groups’ posttest scores compared to their pretest scores, indicating enhanced knowledge following the workshops for all participants. Differences between the nurse practitioners and physician associates were found and discussed. The workshops effectively improved interprofessional knowledge regarding the role of SLPs in the pretreatment of head and neck cancer. Future studies should assess the impact of the educational module on future clinical practice (e.g., frequency of appropriate referrals to SLPs by trained practitioners).

