{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,28]],"date-time":"2026-08-28T08:56:56Z","timestamp":1787907416368,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"20","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760054400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Background: Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) is one of the two gold-standard tools for assessing oropharyngeal dysphagia (alongside Videofluoroscopic Swallowing Study). Although generally considered safe, concerns about complications persist, particularly in systems where FEES is not routine and professional roles differ. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of FEES performed by both speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and physicians, in order to provide evidence of its safety in a healthcare system where the procedure is not yet widely established and to identify patient subgroups potentially at higher risk of procedure-related complications. (2) Methods: This retrospective study analyzed 964 consecutive FEES procedures. Examinations were carried out by trained SLPs or physicians. Data included demographics, clinical status, operator qualifications, setting, and complications, classified as minor (vomiting, poor tolerance, early termination) or major (laryngospasm, epistaxis). (3) Results: The overall complication rate was 1.14% (11\/964): 0.6% minor and 0.5% major. All events were self-limiting. Complication rates did not differ between SLPs (1.05%) and physicians (1.23%) or by experience, setting, drug use, penetration\u2013aspiration scale score, or nasogastric tube. Four complications occurred in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients, suggesting higher risk. (4) Conclusions: FEES is safe and well tolerated when performed by either physicians or SLPs. These findings underscore the value of task sharing in dysphagia diagnostics, demonstrating that a shared model increases service capacity, reduces delays, and facilitates timely management of dysphagia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17203193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T16:34:08Z","timestamp":1760114048000},"page":"3193","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Safety of FEES Performed by Speech-Language Pathologists and Physicians\u2013Evidence Supporting Task Sharing from a Retrospective Observational Study of 964 Consecutive Examinations"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9433-9774","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ma\u0142gorzata","family":"Polit","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0962-8131","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joanna","family":"Chmielewska-Walczak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5105-0687","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Sobol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biophysics, Physiology and Pathophysiology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-004 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3130-1036","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Izabela","family":"Domitrz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kazimierz","family":"Niemczyk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"333","DOI":"10.1007\/s00455-021-10283-7","article-title":"White Paper by the European Society for Swallowing Disorders: Screening and Non-instrumental Assessment for Dysphagia in Adults","volume":"37","author":"Speyer","year":"2022","journal-title":"Dysphagia"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"858","DOI":"10.1016\/S1474-4422(23)00153-9","article-title":"The assessment of dysphagia after stroke: State of the art and future directions","volume":"22","author":"Labeit","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Neurol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"216","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02414429","article-title":"Fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing safety: A new procedure","volume":"2","author":"Langmore","year":"1988","journal-title":"Dysphagia"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"27","DOI":"10.1007\/s00455-016-9775-x","article-title":"History of fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing for evaluation and management of pharyngeal dysphagia: Changes over the years","volume":"32","author":"Langmore","year":"2017","journal-title":"Dysphagia"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1386","DOI":"10.1097\/00005537-200308000-00023","article-title":"Fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing","volume":"113","author":"Hiss","year":"2003","journal-title":"Laryngoscope"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1360","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jamda.2021.09.026","article-title":"Comparison of simultaneous swallowing endoscopy and videofluoroscopy in neurogenic dysphagia","volume":"23","author":"Labeit","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. 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