The Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP™©) – Innovation, Dissemination and Implementation

The Modified Barium Swallow Impairment Profile (MBSImP™©) is a standardized method for the assessment of swallowing physiology from videofluoroscopic imaging used by teams of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and radiologists during modified barium swallowing studies (MBSS). The approach is grounded in research and motivated by patient need toward minimizing wide variation in clinical practice and equivocal swallowing assessment findings when attempting to compare assessment results across the continuum of care and between clinical settings. Various methods of scoring are used, which are dependent upon the nature and purpose of the clinical or research question. The MBSImP™© initiated with an National Institute of Health [NIH] supported study has been field tested for 13 years. The standardized method aims to enhance the validity and reliability of swallowing metrics, improve transparency and reproducibility of clinical and research MBSS practices, as well as to optimize patient safety, comfort, expectations, and outcomes. The physiologic study of swallowing impairment using the MBSImP™© has become a program of research that strategically includes a data science initiative using a global registry of quality, safety and outcome metrics.