Delivery and adherence of SOC program
The mean number of days that participants in the SOC group received their SOC treatment was 6.2, with an SD of 1.3. Of the 72 participants in the SOC group, 48 (66.7%) received the maximal 7 days of SOC treatment, while one-third (On the three-point Likert-type adherence scale, adherence to the SOC was satisfactory with a mean score (SD) of 1.77 (0.27). The mean (SD) adherence score for each protocol was 1.83 (0.36) in oral motor exercises, 1.85 (0.26) in sensory stimulation and lubrication, and 1.52 (0.58) in safe-swallowing education. The relatively low score for the safe-swallowing education protocol reflects its scoring rules: the SOC nurse had to determine whether the patients or their caregivers had followed the instructions; full adherence (a score of 2) was rated if a patient sat up during oral intake, did not feed during drowsy states, and modified food texture when needed.