This site is intended only for the use of UK Healthcare Professionals

Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear Four Seasons Trial Results

Dysphagia

01/04/2021

NESTLÉ HEALTH SCIENCE 2015

Aim

To collect user feedback and fluid intakes of residents on a thickening powder for management of dysphagia to support a possible change from their current starch based thickener to Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear in Four Seasons care homes in Northern Ireland.

Method

2 week fluid intake chart data collection whilst on current thickener across 2 sites
Nestlé Health Science deliver Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear training to staff at both sites
2 week fluid intake chart data collection whilst on Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear across 2 sites
Staff/end user questionnaire for both thickening powders

Key Findings

Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear was scored more favourably by health care staff compared to previous starch based thickener
Residents consuming Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear may consume up to 14% more fluid per day
Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear scored top of the scale against 88% of the questions: ease of use, ease of mixing (hot drinks, cold drinks and milk), taste and appearance (most like original drink)
Positive feedback from health care staff on resident experience of Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear

Preference results

8% perceived it was easier to serve from the container to the cup than the starch thickener
4% perceived easier to prepare a hot drink than using a starch thickener.
37% perceived easier to mix with milk than using a starch thickener
22% perceived easier to mix with water and juice than using a starch thickener
58% perceived more pleasant taste than a starch thickener
35% perceived more pleasant smell than a starch thickener
83% perceived appearance to be more like the original drink than a starch thickened drink

Comments from staff questionnaire

Four seasons trial results Comments

Disclosures

Four Seasons Health Care (“Four Seasons”) has consented to us disclosing their name and using the results of the trial for training with another third party
Nestlé Health Science provided training to Four Seasons staff before the trial was undertaken

NESTLÉ HEALTH SCIENCE 2015

Aim To collect user feedback and fluid intakes of residents on a thickening powder for management of dysphagia to support a possible change from their current starch based thickener to Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear in Four Seasons care homes in Northern Ireland. Method 2 week fluid intake chart data collection whilst on current thickener across 2 sites Nestlé Health Science deliver...

Other content you might be interested in

EAT-10 dysphagia screening tool

Objective: EAT-10 helps to measure swallowing difficulties. It may be important for you to talk with your physician about treatment options for symptoms.

Dysphagia Safety Briefing: Identifying and Managing the Condition

Take the quiz

Dysphagia Safety Briefing: Managing Dysphagia Through a Texture Modified Diet

Take the quiz

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Eating Assessment Tool and the Volume-Viscosity Swallow Test for Clinical Evaluation of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia

Rofes L, Arreola V, Mukherjee R, Clavé P Neurogastroenterol Motil 2014 Sep;26:1256-65. Aim: To re-validate the accuracy of the Volume-Viscosity Swallow Test (V-VST) for Clinical Assessment by using a new thickening agent with an exclusive formula (ThickenUp® Clear) on 120 patients with oropharyngeal dysphagia associated with age and neurological pathology. Results: The study sh...

County wide change from predominantly starch-based thickeners to Resource ThickenUp Clear

Introduction Prescribed thickeners are used to thicken fluids to a more viscose consistency than normal, because drinking thicker fluids has long been thought to reduce the risk of aspiration for people with dysphagia. A recent systematic review has identified that thickening liquids can reduce risk of aspiration.1 Many older people live with dysphagia, and a recent review study2 fou...

Effects of Bolus Rheology on Aspiration in Patients with Dysphagia

Bolus manipulation is a primary treatment strategy in the management of oral-pharyngeal dysphagia. The use of thickening agents to alter bolus rheology is particu-larly commonplace; however, the precise effects of these alterations on swallowing remain uncertain. The purpose of our study, a prospective, double-blind clinical trial (Level 1b), was to investigate the effects o...

Changing from a starch-based to gum-based thickener product: A step in the switching process

For people with dysphagia, it is commonly recommended for fluids to be thickened in order to assist with bolus control and help reduce the risk of choking and aspiration.1-4 However, it has been found that many patients report a dislike of thickened fluids, especially thicker consistencies, thus reducing their quality of life and increasing their risk of dehydration from..

Acceptance, Compliance, and Tolerance of a Novel Xanthan Gum- Based Thickener* in Oropharyngeal Dysphagia Patients

Purpose Diet modification is an established first-line compensatory technique for dysphagia management, and thickeners are used to modify liquids. Commercial thickening agents are used to decrease the flow rate of liquids, and allow patients more time to initiate the swallow. Patients do not always like thickened fluids and so compliance can be difficult to achieve. We unde...

Performance-based preference for a novel xanthan gum-based thickener among clinicians treating dysphagia patients

Herentry K, et al. European Geriatric Medicine. 2011;2(S24-S206.). Excellent Compliance1: Does not affect colour, taste and odour of hot or cold liquids or foods. Flavourless & Odourless No lumps in various liquids Practically transparent in water 98% of professionals state that it helps improve compliance* Easy to Prepare6 The results obtained with Resource® ThickenUp® Cle...

Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear Buckinghamshire NHS Trust Trial Results

NESTLÉ HEALTH SCIENCE 2016 Aim To undertake a trial to compare Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear against their current starch based thickener and address the current difficulties. Method Nestlé Health Science provided samples of Resource® ThickenUp™ Clear to the Stroke Unit to trial this thickener The trial consisted of numerous evaluation components: Taste test – included staff and patients with dysphagia ...

The effects of a xanthan gum-based thickener on the swallowing function of patients with dysphagia

L. Rofes*, V. Arreola†, R. Mukherjee‡, J. Swanson§ & P. Clave*,† *Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de enfermedades hepaticas y digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain. †Unitat de Proves Funcionals Digestives, Department de Cirurgia, Hospital de Mataro, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Mataro, Spain. ‡Nestle Research Center, Nestec Ltd, L...

Matching the Rheological Properties of Videofluoroscopic Contrast Agents and Thickened Liquid Prescriptions

S. Popa Nita • M. Murith • H. Chisholm • J. Engmann • Received: 5 March 2012 / Accepted: 10 December 2012 / Published online: 14 February 2013 The Author(s) 2013. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com S. Popa Nita M. Murith H. Chisholm J. Engmann (&) Nestle´ Research Center, Nestec Ltd, Vers-chez-les-Blanc, PO Box 44, 1000 Lausanne 26,..