AIM: To investigate the recovery of the function of patients with stroke after accepting rehabilitation training and to understand the effectiveness of swallowing training on patients with swallowing disorder. METHODS: Fifty-three patients with stroke were divided randomly into control group and training group according to random number table. Patients in the control group were given regular nursing, while those in the training group were given rehabilitation nursing characterized by swallowing and ingesting training. The swallow function was tested at admission and one month after treatment. Statistical analysis was made. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the results of drinking, the grade of diet, and the complication in the two groups before treatment, while after 4 weeks, the swallow function and the grade of diet in the training group were better than those in the control group (p < 0.01). The number of the complications was significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.005). The nursing quantity of ingestion of patients decreased significantly (37.5 +/- 32.0 minutes per day in the control group, 12.4 +/- 9.0 minutes per day in the training group, respectively). The difference was significant with the t test (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The swallowing training in early period helps to improve the swallow function and living ability of patients with stroke, and induce their complication and the burden of their family.

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