The objective is to develop and evaluate a Saliva Management Pathway, with a suite of print and digital resources, to support patients attending the RBWH Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Clinic so they can implement recommended treatments at home and guide community clinicians who work with these patients between RBWH clinic appointments. 

The RBWH MND Clinic is a specialist service, providing >315 appointments annually to patients living in Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Patients attend 3-monthly appointments with the team comprising of a neurologist, palliative care consultant, nurse, speech pathologist and dietitian. 

People living with MND experience significant difficulties swallowing and managing saliva. Saliva either spills from the mouth or collects in the throat, presenting a choking risk and hindering breathing, causing significant stress, and impacting quality of life. 

Patients report these clinic appointments can be overwhelming due to the amount of information provided. Consequently, recommended saliva management strategies are commonly not implemented. Patients also report difficulty recalling the recommendations and have challenges accessing help in the community for management of their saliva issues. 

Phase 1 involves stakeholder meetings between consumers and clinicians to understand their experiences/issues with the current saliva management model and suggestions for improvement. A suite of resources will be developed accordingly and hosted on the Speech Pathology healthcare service page on RBWH facility internet site.

Given current consumer feedback, is it is envisaged this will include: an individualised saliva management prescription for each patient (informed by the healthcare team), consumer education resources (including written handouts, and videos accessible via the RBWH internet page), and saliva management support tools for both consumers and clinicians (e.g., GP speech pathologists) to guide self-management and troubleshooting.