Economic Evaluations of Speech and Language Therapy Interventions: A Scoping Review.
James Hill, Amit Kulkarni, Deborah Moll and 9 others
PMID 40650407WHAT IT FOUND
The review found 52 economic evaluation studies of speech and language therapy, and most did not combine costs with outcomes.
There is not enough evidence to show which SLT services give best value.
Key findings
01The review included 52 studies assessing the cost or cost-effectiveness of speech and language therapy interventions.
02Eight included studies were protocol-only studies, and 44 were completed studies.
03Most completed studies were conducted in the United States, Australia, or the United Kingdom.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The search was limited to English language studies. Screening was done by one reviewer with 10% verification, and data extraction was not verified by a second reviewer for all items. Eight included studies were protocols with no published cost results. The completed studies were concentrated in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, so costs may not transfer to other health systems. The included studies covered many different populations, settings, interventions and outcome measures, so they do not point to one speech and language therapy service that is cost-effective. Many studies used short time horizons and healthcare payer or sector perspectives, so longer-term and wider costs were not captured. Only 18 studies cited another included study, so the evidence base is weakly connected.
Declared interests
Two authors are employed by the Royal College of Speech & Language Therapists.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that speech and language therapy is cost-effective from this review. The review found 52 studies, many did not combine costs with outcomes, and the interventions and populations were too varied to support a general value claim.