Mealtimes are a balancing act : health professionals' views on the quality of life impacts of dysphagia and potential for improvements through 3D food printing

Introduction: Dysphagia and its interventions can impact negatively on a person’s quality of life, participation, and inclusion. 3D food printing is claimed to address the negative impact of modifying food texture upon its visual appeal for people with dysphagia, and improve their mealtime experiences. We aimed to examine the views of allied health professionals working with people with dysphagia on the impacts of dysphagia on a person’s quality of life, and on the feasibility of 3D food printing to improve mealtime experiences. Materials/methods: Focus groups were used to determine the views of 15 allied health professionals who worked with people with dysphagia. The focus groups each lasted two hours and explored six key questions. Participants were also shown videos of the Foodini 3D food printer being used and photos of the resultant pureed food shapes. Data were analyzed using content thematic analysis and the results were verified with participants. Results: Participants agreed that dysphagia could negatively impact a person’s choice and control, social engagement, physical safety, and food experiences. Participants recognized the potential for 3D food printers to increase choice and control in enabling people with dysphagia to ‘design their own mealtime’. However, they were unsure about the feasibility of people with dysphagia or their supporters using 3D food printers, and identified usability issues that need to be addressed before 3D food printers can be a widely accepted assistive technology. Conclusion: Allied health professionals identified the potential benefits of 3D food printing to provide visually appealing texture-modified food. Dysphagia has complex impacts on a person’s mealtime-related quality of life and 3D food printers offer potential benefits. Usability issues may impede uptake and use of this new technology. Further research on the user experience of people with dysphagia and health professionals using 3D food printers is indicated.