Identifying barriers and facilitators to the use of cervical auscultation in detecting aspiration in infants and children

There is an increasing incidence in paediatric feeding disorders, which are now the most common reason for referral to speech pathologists at most hospitals. These disorders have serious consequences, including oropharyngeal aspiration (aka aspiration) leading to respiratory illnesses. Cervical auscultation (CA) is a technique that relies on listening to swallow and breath sounds to detect aspiration in infants and children. The use of CA has high diagnostic accuracy when compared to the traditional techniques used by speech pathologists. However, CA is not routinely used in clinical practice to assess aspiration in this group. This study aims to identify barriers and enablers to the use of CA in clinical practice from the perspectives of speech pathologists and caregivers of children with aspiration, through the use of qualitative interviews. The study will also assess speech pathologists' CA skills, via an online survey, to examine the relationship between accuracy, perceived competence and pressure in using CA to detect aspiration. This research will help to support evidence-based implementation of CA in the assessment of aspiration in infants and children. Thus, it aims to result in improved diagnosis, treatment, and health outcomes.