Using the Gugging Swallowing Screen After Intubation in Iraq.

Aspiration pneumonia and dysphagia remain significant health problems after intubation. This study reports on an evaluation of using the Gugging Swallowing Screen for early detection of aspiration pneumonia and dysphagia after extubation. A quasi-experimental design study was used involving 128 participants randomly assigned to two groups: an intervention group and a control group. Data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and analysis of covariance. After the nutritional intervention according to the Gugging Swallowing Scale, the results showed a reduction in the total score for aspiration pneumonia in the global assessment of swallowing function. The mean score in the intervention group was 4.31 ± 1.029, which was higher than that in the control group (3.12 ± 1.467), reflecting the positive results of the intervention. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing aspiration pneumonia and improving swallowing function after the intervention period.