Validity and reliability of the Group for Learning Useful and Performant Swallowing (GLUPS) tool

• Published in: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology Vol. 281; no. 2; pp. 817 - 826
• Main Authors: Lechien, Jerome R., Blouin, Auriane, Baudouin, Robin, Bousard, Laura, Rodriguez, Alexandra, Verhasselt, Marie, Cavelier, Gaetan, Vialatte de Pemille, Grégoire, Circiu, Marta P., Crevier-Buchman, Lise, Hans, Stephane, Vanderwegen, Jan, Dequanter, Didier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.02.2024; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Deglutition; Deglutition Disorders - diagnostic imaging; Deglutition Disorders - etiology; Fluoroscopy; Head and Neck Surgery; Humans; Laryngology; Life Sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neurosurgery; Otorhinolaryngology; Reproducibility of Results; Respiratory Aspiration - complications; Respiratory Aspiration - etiology; Videofluoroscopy; Radiograph; Head neck; Surgery; Otolaryngology; Dysphagia; Swallowing; Tool
• ISSN: 0937-4477; 1434-4726; 1434-4726
• DOI: 10.1007/s00405-023-08313-1

Introduction To validate the Group for Learning Useful and Performant Swallowing (GLUPS), a clinical tool dedicated to videofluoroscopy swallowing study (VFSS). Methods Forty-five individuals were recruited from January 2022 to March 2023 from the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery of University Hospital Saint-Pierre (Brussels, Belgium). Subjects underwent VFSS, which was rated with GLUPS tool by two blinded otolaryngologists and one speech-therapist. VFSS were rated twice with GLUPS within a 7-day period to assess test–retest reliability. Results Twenty-four patients and twenty-one controls completed the evaluations. The internal consistency (α = 0.745) and the test–retest reliability ( r s  = 0.941; p  = 0.001) were adequate. GLUPS reported a high external validity regarding the significant correlation with the Penetration–Aspiration Scale ( r s  = 0.551; p  = 0.001). Internal validity was adequate, because GLUPS score was significant higher in patients compared to controls (6.21 ± 4.42 versus 2.09 ± 2.00; p  = 0.001). Interrater reliability did not report significant differences in the GLUPS sub- and total score among the independent judges. The mean GLUPS score of individuals without any evidence of VFSS abnormalities was 2.09/23 (95% CI  1.23–2.95), which supported that a GLUPS score ≥ 3.0 is suggestive of pathological VFSS. Conclusions GLUPS is a clinical instrument documenting the abnormal findings of oral and pharyngeal phases at the VFSS. GLUPS demonstrated high reliability and excellent criterion-based validity. GLUPS may be used in clinical practice for the swallowing evaluation at the VFSS.