Diagnostic accuracy of the ‘Dysphagia Screening Tool for Geriatric Patients’ (DSTG) compared to Flexible Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) for assessing dysphagia in hospitalized geriatric patients – a diagnostic study

Table 1 Characteristics of the study population (n = 53)

Variable	Mean	Standard deviation	Minimum	Maximum	Median
Age (years)	85.6	± 6.0	74	98	86.0
Barthel Index (points)^a	39.4	± 19.4	5	80	35.0
Number of comorbidities	2.5	± 1.3	0	5	2.0
Charlson Comorbidity Index (points) ^b	2.6	± 1.9	0	8	2.0
Quality of life (VAS) ^c	50.1	± 19.4	10	90	50

^a Barthel Index (Hamburg Classification Manual) [20]: number of points from 0 to 100, higher values show greater independence in performing basic activities of daily living; ^b Charlson Comorbidity Index as modified by Quan [27]: weighted index of comorbidity, higher values represent more severe comorbidity; ^c quality of life as measured by the visual analog scale (VAS) [21]: values from 0 to 100 possible, higher values indicate better quality of life

ISSN: 1471-2318