Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: AIMS: This study aims to assess the construct validity, inter-rater and intra-rater reliability and application of the newly developed Paediatric Posterior Drooling Scale (PPDS), a novel clinical screening tool that uses cervical auscultation (CA) to evaluate posterior drooling in children with neurological disorders. METHODS: In this cross-sectional observational study, 69 children with central neurological disorders aged 1-18 years (mean 8.4 years, 50 males, 19 females) were included for analysis. CA was used by expert and trained speech language therapists (SLT). Due to the correlation between posterior drooling and oropharyngeal dysphagia, two classification systems for eating and drinking ability were used for convergent construct validity calculations: the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) for children complemented with the Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS) in the case of cerebral palsy. RESULTS: PPDS had a moderate, negative correlation with the FOIS (Spearman's rho = -0.54, p < 0.001) and a moderate, positive correlation with the EDACS (Spearman's rho = 0.70, p < 0.001). PPDS had an excellent intra-rater (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.91, p < 0.001) and a good inter-rater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.85, p < 0.001). The perfect agreement percentage of the test-retest reliability was high (84%) for the score 0. CONCLUSIONS: The PPDS is a valid and reliable clinically applicable screening tool for assessing posterior drooling by the SLT. The PPDS enables SLTs to identify posterior drooling more efficiently, non-invasively and reliably in routine clinical settings. Timely recognition of posterior drooling can significantly impact clinical management, particularly by reducing respiratory complications. Performing subsequent PPDS assessments at different times when posterior drooling is suspected is important for the treating paediatrician to determine the underlying cause of posterior drooling. To establish the diagnosis of posterior drooling, the PPDS should not be used as a stand-alone tool but as a bridge between clinical observations and the need for an instrumental assessment.
DOI: 10.1111/cch.70153
Language: English
Subfield: Speech and Hearing
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,850
Funder: Radboud Universiteit
OpenAlex ID: W4416275803