Thoughts, Feelings & Research Design

I have learned a great deal in Methods of Inquiry course this semester! I feel that I have a solid foundation for my research in the next upcoming phases. This week I was assigned to an applied dissertation committee. I am definitely looking forward to working directly with my committee chairperson on my research.

For my research, I am still considering creating an original survey in order to obtain SLPs perspectives, knowledge and practice patterns in Dysphagia treatment with AD patients in LTC and SNF settings.

I think that this will be both a challenging and rewarding applied dissertation experience! Looking forward to contributing my original research to the scientific knowledge base. There appears to be a deficiency in the literature regarding this topic and I'm hoping it could be useful to others.

Blog #3 CONTINUED: Purpose Statement & Research Question

Purpose Statement:

The purpose of this study is to explore the clinical perspectives, preparation, and practice patterns of Speech-language pathologists providing dysphagia treatment and management to patients with Alzheimer's disease in Skilled nursing and Long-term care facilities.

Research Question:

What reasons do SLPs attribute to lack of clinical preparation in dysphagia treatment and management with Alzheimer's patients?

Blog Post # 3: The Purpose Statement

This week I am working on generating a purpose statement and research questions. The theoretical perspective and literature review assignment provided me with a good foundation to generate a purpose statement. I have at least decided that I would like to conduct a study of qualitative methods by surveying Speech-Language Pathologist's of the American Speech-Language & Hearing Association. I'm definitely starting to generate more ideas about the direction of my Applied Dissertation and what I would like to accomplish. During the last post, I did not have to the opportunity to post my literature review. Since I have successfully completed it, I would love any feedback.

Blog Post #2: The Literature Review

Our current assignment is to complete a literature review for our research topic. I must admit that I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have actually had experience with completing a literature review in Graduate School for my Master's Thesis. However, this time it seems to be a bit more difficult to locate research to support and substantiate my research topic. I received some great feedback and resources from Dr. Reeves regarding locating research articles. In addition, I was also able to schedule a one-on-one session with a Librarian. With the librarians assistance, I was able to locate more specific articles that are pertinent to my research topic. Very pleased with the results and hopeful for a great literature review.

Wanted to share a link for any other students that need additional assistance from a Librarian. Just follow the link to schedule an appointment:

http://www.nova.edu/library/help/askbyappt.html

Dissertation Blog Post #1

Hello Everyone~ Welcome to my Blog!

My name is Javanese but everyone refers to me as “Jav”. I am Speech-Language Pathologist in Chicago, Illinois. Our first dissertation blog assignment for EDD 9300 Methods of Inquiry course is to create a dissertation blog and discuss our problem statement for our dissertation. My particular area of research interest is Dysphagia diagnosis and treatment. I work primarily in adult rehabilitation settings including, skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. I typically provide Dysphagia intervention services to patients with an Alzheimers diagnosis. Due to the progressive nature of this disease, nutrition and hydration are commonly affected. In addition, the ability to safely swallow and self-feed independently diminishes. SLPs in skilled nursing and long-term care settings play a critical role in treatment and management of Dysphagia with Alzheimer’s patients. Our role within this population is to ensure diet toleration, safety and to provide education to family and caregivers. But according to Curfman (2005), the role of the SLP will change over time because of the progressive nature of the dementia disease process and its effect on swallowing function and nutrition. However, due to the wide range of presenting symptoms and complexities of Alzheimers patients suffering from Dysphagia, it’s difficult to determine what management, intervention and/or evidence-based treatment strategies are effective and appropriate for these patients. I can attest to this. When I initially began my career as an SLP, I was intimidated by providing treatment services to Alzheimer’s patients. I was so uncertain because each patient presented with different Dysphagia symptoms and required different treatment strategies and techniques. I felt unprepared for rehabilitating such a medically complex population.

Which leads me to my problem statement: Many Speech-Language Pathologists are unprepared in Dysphagia therapeutic intervention and treatment among Alzheimer’s patients in skilled nursing settings.

Curfman. S. (2005, August). Managing dysphagia in residents with dementia: skilled intervention for a common and troubling disorder. Nursing Homes. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3830/is_8_54/ai_n15338409/ 24 Jan, 2012.