Swallowing Disorders Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Overview

This Swallowing Disorders master's degree at Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona is designed for multidisciplinary personnel in all fields dealing with dysphagia: nurses, radiologists, neurologists, speech-language pathologists (SLP), dieticians and nutritionists, ear-nose-throat specialists/otorhinolaryngologists (ENT), occupational therapists (OT), phoniatricians, physiotherapists, geriatricians, rehabilitation medicine, etc.

Oropharyngeal dysphagia is an under recognised condition which an estimated 30.000.000 Europeans suffer from, together with its nutritional and respiratory complications. It is very important to increase the awareness on oropharyngeal dysphagia because it may cause serious complications: aspiration pneumonia, increased incidence of choking and malnutrition and dehydration; all of which can lead to death of the patient. Dysphagia can also prolong a patients hospital stay and the need for institutional care.

The populations at risk are both adult and paediatric populations suffering neurodegenerative diseases, stroke and non-progressive neurological diseases, traumatic brain injury, older patients (over 70 years), patients with head and neck diseases (as tumours), patients with recurrent pneumonia and respiratory infections. A significant incidence of dysphagia has also been found in COVID-19 patients, therefore dysphagia being one of its most serious sequelae.

In conclusion, the early detection and management of oropharyngeal dysphagia is important to prevent complications associated with the condition and decrease the risk of death due to malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia.

Career opportunities

Since the Master's and Postgraduate courses are aimed at professionals who are already trained in different fields, they do not qualify for professional practice on its own, but aim to increase basic skills and knowledge in the area of dysphagia.

The professional areas in which the course is linked to are all the fields that deal with dysphagia: medicine, nursing, radiology, neurology, speech therapy, dietetics and nutrition, ENT, physiotherapy, geriatrics and rehabilitation, etc.