Usefulness of Telemedicine for Disabled Children Receiving Feeding Therapy.
Fumiyo Tamura, Takeshi Kikutani, Reiko Machida and 10 others
PMID 35768661WHAT IT FOUND
For disabled children receiving feeding therapy, telemedicine and in-person care led to similar improvements in feeding skills.
The study found no significant difference between the two groups, suggesting telemedicine is a viable alternative for routine monitoring and guidance.
Key findings
01There was no significant difference in feeding developmental stage improvement between the telemedicine and in-person groups.
02Both groups showed significant improvement in feeding developmental stages from initial to final evaluation.
03Telemedicine sessions involved observing the child eating at home and providing guidance on posture, food form, and training methods to parents.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was retrospective and conducted at only two affiliated institutions, which may limit generalizability. The sample size after matching was small (36 per group), reducing statistical power. The study excluded children who could not feed orally, so results do not apply to patients with severe dysphagia requiring tube feeding or those who cannot take food by mouth. Blinding of therapists to group allocation was not possible, and the intervention was delivered by dentists and hygienists rather than speech-language pathologists.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by non-U.S. government grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume telemedicine is effective for children who cannot feed orally or have severe dysphagia. The study specifically excluded patients who could not take food by mouth, and a limitation noted that none of the patients incapable of oral feeding showed improvement via telemedicine.