Do’s and Don’ts in Mealtime Management for People with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study from the Italian Society of Deglutology

@article{pizzorni2026donts,
  title = {{Do’s and Don’ts in Mealtime Management for People with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study from the Italian Society of Deglutology}},
  author = {Nicole Pizzorni and Sara Rocca and Aurora Ninfa and Antonio Amitrano and Arianna Valeria Bai and Michela Barichella and Maria Rosaria Barillari and Umberto Barillari and Jessica Barsotti and Irene Battel and Monica Bianchi and Alessandra Bosetti and Paola Castellini and Federica Cenci and Emanuele Cereda and Anna Colombo and Antonella Cusimano and Francesco D’Abrosca and Ramona De Amicis and Claudia Dellavia and Antonella Delle Fave and Stefano Doratiotto and Daniele Farneti and Bruno Fattori and Maria Luisa Fiorella and Alessandro Galazzi and Federica Lucia Galli and Elisabetta Genovese and Luisa Gervasio and Silvia Gnecchi and Isabella Koch and Valentina Lamon and Patrizia Maruzzi and Benito Michelizza and Maria Giulia Montecchi and Luca Morelli and Francesco Mozzanica and Luca Parisi and Carlo Pedrolli and Gaia Pellegrini and Chiara Piscitelli and Marco Ramaioli and Cristina Reverberi and Sergio Riso and Giovanni Ruoppolo and Amelia Santoro and Alessandro Selvagio and Massimo Spadola Bisetti and Chiara Stracquadanio and Beatrice Travalca Cupillo and Stefano Usai and Elvira Verduci and Irene Vernero and Lucia Zannini and Antonio Schindler},
  journal = {Nutrients},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.3390/nu18193268},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666940},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Do’s and Don’ts in Mealtime Management for People with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia: A Modified Delphi Consensus Study from the Italian Society of Deglutology
AU  - Nicole Pizzorni
AU  - Sara Rocca
AU  - Aurora Ninfa
AU  - Antonio Amitrano
AU  - Arianna Valeria Bai
AU  - Michela Barichella
AU  - Maria Rosaria Barillari
AU  - Umberto Barillari
AU  - Jessica Barsotti
AU  - Irene Battel
AU  - Monica Bianchi
AU  - Alessandra Bosetti
AU  - Paola Castellini
AU  - Federica Cenci
AU  - Emanuele Cereda
AU  - Anna Colombo
AU  - Antonella Cusimano
AU  - Francesco D’Abrosca
AU  - Ramona De Amicis
AU  - Claudia Dellavia
AU  - Antonella Delle Fave
AU  - Stefano Doratiotto
AU  - Daniele Farneti
AU  - Bruno Fattori
AU  - Maria Luisa Fiorella
AU  - Alessandro Galazzi
AU  - Federica Lucia Galli
AU  - Elisabetta Genovese
AU  - Luisa Gervasio
AU  - Silvia Gnecchi
AU  - Isabella Koch
AU  - Valentina Lamon
AU  - Patrizia Maruzzi
AU  - Benito Michelizza
AU  - Maria Giulia Montecchi
AU  - Luca Morelli
AU  - Francesco Mozzanica
AU  - Luca Parisi
AU  - Carlo Pedrolli
AU  - Gaia Pellegrini
AU  - Chiara Piscitelli
AU  - Marco Ramaioli
AU  - Cristina Reverberi
AU  - Sergio Riso
AU  - Giovanni Ruoppolo
AU  - Amelia Santoro
AU  - Alessandro Selvagio
AU  - Massimo Spadola Bisetti
AU  - Chiara Stracquadanio
AU  - Beatrice Travalca Cupillo
AU  - Stefano Usai
AU  - Elvira Verduci
AU  - Irene Vernero
AU  - Lucia Zannini
AU  - Antonio Schindler
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Nutrients
DO  - 10.3390/nu18193268
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13666940
AB  - Background: Meals are central to daily life, health, and social participation, yet their safety and enjoyment can be compromised in people with oropharyngeal dysphagia (OD). Despite the broad impact of OD on physical and psychosocial well-being and daily functioning, structured guidance for comprehensive mealtime management in clinical practice is lacking. To address this gap, a set of expert consensus-based “Do’s and Don’ts” covering four meal-related domains was developed. Methods: A modified Delphi consensus study promoted by the Italian Society of Deglutology involved a multidisciplinary panel of 53 experts in OD and related disciplines. Experts developed “Do” and “Don’t” statements across four domains: nutrition-focused diet prescription, meal preparation, mealtime experience, and patient and caregiver education. After panel conveners’ review, 61 statements underwent two rounds of online voting using a 3-point ordinal scale plus an additional option ‘unable to express an opinion’. Consensus was predefined as ≥75% agreement. Statements were revised between rounds based on participants’ comments to ensure clinical accuracy and practical applicability. Results: The response rate was 85% for Round 1 and 97.8% for Round 2. After Round 2, 57 of 61 statements (93.4%) reached the consensus threshold (≥75% agreement). Conclusions: Mealtime management in OD should be individualized and person-centered, balancing swallowing safety, nutritional requirements, quality of life, and enjoyment of eating. Management should extend beyond compensatory strategies alone to include the social and relational dimensions of meals. Active involvement and education of patients and caregivers are essential to support therapeutic adherence and daily implementation of recommendations. Interprofessional collaboration and multimodal educational strategies are crucial to ensuring a coordinated, safe, and effective nutritional approach to OD care.
SN  - 2072-6643
ER  -