Role Title: Project Intern: Enhancing Speech Pathology Care for Post–Cardiac Surgery Dysphagia
Organisation: North Metropolitan Health Service
Internship Period: Semester 2 (July – October)
Location: Nedlands
This project is a retrospective audit of usual Speech Pathology (SP) practice at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (SCGH) for patients following cardiac surgery. Dysphagia is a known post-operative complication linked to delayed oral intake, increased length of stay, and higher morbidity and mortality, making early SP involvement critical for patient safety and recovery.
The audit will examine the incidence of SP referral and prevalence of dysphagia in acute cardiac surgery inpatients, along with contributing risk factors such as surgical type and perioperative variables. For patients with dysphagia, the project will analyse swallowing impairment and associated outcomes and complications, including length of stay, delays to oral intake.
Service utilisation will also be evaluated, including referral rates, timeliness of SP assessment, and use of instrumental assessments (FEES/VFSS), to identify gaps in care pathways.
Data from patients admitted between December 2025 and May 2026 will be analysed, capturing dysphagia prevalence, risk factors, swallowing characteristics, clinical outcomes, referral patterns, and interventions.
Findings will inform improvements to screening, referral pathways, and future SP service planning to enhance early identification and management of dysphagia in this population.
Established in 2016, North Metropolitan Health Services (NMHS) is committed to providing excellent health care for our patients and our communities.
As one of the largest health services in WA, we provide a comprehensive range of adult specialist medical, surgical, mental health and obstetric services.