The prevalence of dysphagia at risk among older adults in nursing homes: a meta-analysis

To estimate the prevalence of dysphagia at risk among older adults in nursing homes. Electronic databases of PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and Embase for English language, WanFang, VIP and CNKI for Chinese language were systematically searched to identify relevant observational studies published not later than July 4, 2021. Studies conducted in nursing homes and reported dysphagia screening or assessment methods were included. In total, 43 studies involving 56 746 participants were included in this meta-analysis. The overall pooled crude prevalence of dysphagia at risk was 35.9% (95% CI: 29.0-43.4%), with high heterogeneity (I2 = 99.5%). There was a statistically significant difference in prevalence estimates with respect to study locations, dysphagia assessment staff and representativeness of samples. The prevalence of dysphagia among older adults in nursing homes is relatively high. Routine screening strategy for dysphagia is necessary for older adults in nursing homes.