Micro-credential in Dysphagia and Texture Modified Foods

Texture-modified diets are a specialized and increasingly necessary food option, resulting from various clinical situations, such as neurological diseases, dementia, strokes, and the aging process itself. Modifying food texture, along with adjusting nutritional composition and paying attention to appearance and flavor, allows for the offer of nutritionally adapted meals that are safe from the point of view of chewing and swallowing mechanisms. In this context, dysphagia, as the main alteration of the swallowing mechanism, is one of the primary clinical conditions that justify the need to modify food texture. Its prevalence is increasing, especially in hospital, institutional, and long-term healthcare settings.
Inadequate management of nutrition and hydration in cases of dysphagia is often associated with significant clinical consequences such as malnutrition, dehydration, risk of aspiration, and pneumonia. On the other hand, adequate management of this food offer allows for tailored nutritional intervention, ensuring safe, sufficient, and enjoyable meals, with a positive impact on individuals’ quality of life.
The Microcredential in Dysphagia and Texture Modified Foods and thus arises as a response to the need for specialized training in this area and will enable the development of theoretical and, above all, practical skills by healthcare professionals and/or caregivers.
This training program will enable:
• Train healthcare professionals, caregivers, and other participants to better understand texture modified foods and their sensory, nutritional, and texture characteristics;
• Develop practical skills in cooking and modifying food texture at different levels, according to the IDDSI (International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative) classification.

Students enrolled in the 4th year of undergraduate degree programmes at the Coimbra Health School (ESTeSC–IPC) are eligible to apply for this microcredential.

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