Independent Real-World Study Verifies the Validity and Reliability of the Viscgo Sticks
The University of Manchester recently conducted an independent real-world validation study to assess the validity of the Viscgo Drink Thickness Test Sticks and to test how reliable the Sticks are when used by different healthcare professionals.
The study has been published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.
“Viscgo Sticks provide a reliable and valid means to test thickened drinks, which is invaluable in healthcare settings where day-to-day drink preparation occurs.”1
The study concluded that:
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- “Overall, Viscgo Sticks were able to correctly identify the correct thickness level of a thickened drink when used in real-world settings by independent researchers and healthcare professionals.”1
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- “The general reliability and validity of Viscgo Sticks was high, providing the user with useful and objective information.”1
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- “Healthcare professionals’ feedback, in relation to practicalities and usefulness of Viscgo Sticks, was extremely positive, suggesting that Viscgo Sticks would be well utilised across relevant care settings.”1
- “Preparation of thickened liquids is essential for maintaining hydration in people diagnosed with dysphagia. Thus, access to simple and reliable tools like Viscgo Sticks, which can verify a prescribed IDDSI level of liquid, is invaluable in healthcare settings where day-to-day drink preparation occurs.”1
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“Viscgo Sticks correctly classified 83.33-100% of thickened drinks with high accuracy.”1
The study summarised the results as:
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- “The intra- and inter-rater reliability of Viscgo Sticks was moderate to almost perfect within and between researchers and substantial within and between healthcare professionals.”1
- “When tested by researchers and healthcare professionals against the flow test, Viscgo Sticks correctly classified 83.33-100% of thickened drinks with high accuracy.”1
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“Effective management of dysphagia is crucial for reducing serious health risks and improving patients’ quality of life.”1
When thickening drinks for people with dysphagia, it’s important to understand that you can’t rely on the thickener manufacturer’s instructions.
This is because thickness is affected by the type of drink and its temperature, not just the amount of thickener added.
Thickness can also alter over time, particularly if a cold drink warms up or a hot drink cools down.
Errors can be fatal so its important to test that every drink thickened for a person with dysphagia adheres to the prescribed level of thickness for that person.
The International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) recommend the flow test to check that a thickened drink adheres to the prescribed level of thickness on the IDDSI Framework.
However, the flow test has limitations:
It requires the use of the correct syringes or the IDDSI funnel that aren’t readily available in all settings.
It is quite fiddly, requiring a degree of dexterity that some users may lack.
There is a danger of scalding when testing hot drinks.
10ml of the drink is lost with each test.
Because of this, the flow test is rarely used to test every thickened drink. IDDSI acknowledge that they “would not expect this to be performed routinely”2
Viscgo’s Drink Thickness Test Sticks are an alternative, quick, easy, practical way to test every drink adheres to the prescribed level on the IDDSI Framework.
The University of Manchester conducted the real-world validation study to assess the validity of the Viscgo Sticks against the current criterion measure (the IDDSI flow test) and to test how reliable the Sticks are when used by different healthcare professionals.
Independent researchers from the University of Manchester tested the Viscgo Sticks against the flow test in different drinks at different temperatures thickened to different consistencies with different xanthan gum-based thickeners.
Healthcare professionals working in Greater Manchester NHS Trusts and care homes, who had experience of managing dysphagia, then tested the Viscgo Sticks against the flow test in three levels of thickened drinks.
After completing the testing with the Viscgo Sticks the healthcare professionals completed a short survey to provide feedback on the practicalities and everyday usefulness of the Sticks.
“We demonstrated that Viscgo Sticks are reliable in assessing IDDSI thickness levels of liquids with high intra- and inter-rater reliability (moderate to almost perfect) within and between researchers and healthcare professionals. Viscgo Sticks were also found to be valid, with a high percentage of correct classification (83.33 to 100%) when used by both researchers and healthcare professionals. Therefore, Viscgo Sticks can be used independently by healthcare professionals to assess the thickness level of thickened beverages.”1
The study was funded by the Research and Innovation Accelerator Collaborative Project Award, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and administered by Health Innovation Manchester.
REFERENCES
1. Jones, D, Allsopp, K, Burden, S. Getting the consistency right in thickened liquids using Viscgo Sticks: a validation study. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023; 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.13268
2. Cichero JA, Lam P, Steele CM, et al. Development of International Terminology and Definitions for Texture-Modified Foods and Thickened Fluids Used in Dysphagia Management: The IDDSI Framework. Dysphagia. 2017.32:293-314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-016-9758-y