The perspectives of speech-language pathologists: Providing teletherapy to patients with speech, language and swallowing difficulties during a COVID-19 context.
Zahraa Tar-Mahomed, Kelly-Ann Kater
PMID 36073074WHAT IT FOUND
SLPs found teletherapy feasible for speech and language therapy, citing reduced travel and better family involvement.
However, dysphagia treatment was largely abandoned due to inability to assess swallowing safely. Public sector therapists faced severe barriers from poor data access and reliance on phone-only sessions.
Key findings
01Teletherapy was viewed as feasible for managing communication disorders, offering advantages like reduced travel costs, lower exposure risk, and increased family participation in therapy.
02Dysphagia services were significantly disrupted, with most therapists unable to provide swallowing assessment or treatment via teletherapy due to safety concerns and lack of physical examination.
03Access to teletherapy was unequal; private sector therapists had better resources, while public sector therapists struggled with unreliable electricity, low bandwidth, and often relied on audio-only phone calls which hindered visual modeling.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (12 participants), limiting the generalisability of the findings. The majority of participants (75%) were from the private sector, meaning the experiences of public sector therapists, who face the greatest resource barriers, are underrepresented. Participants were drawn from only four provinces, potentially missing perspectives from rural or other regions with different infrastructure challenges. Data collection occurred during a specific phase of the pandemic (lockdown), which may have amplified certain barriers like anxiety or restricted movement compared to post-pandemic practice.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the positive feedback on teletherapy as evidence that it is a safe or effective substitute for face-to-face care in all areas. The study explicitly found that dysphagia assessment and treatment were largely discontinued or deemed impossible via teletherapy, and public sector patients often lacked the video access necessary for effective motor speech therapy.