'We are in this together' voices of speech-language pathologists working in South African healthcare contexts during level 4 and level 5 lockdown of COVID-19.
Skye N Adams, Jaishika Seedat, Kim Coutts and 1 others
PMID 33764150WHAT IT FOUND
Most South African speech-language pathologists reported disrupted services, with outpatient therapy often stopping or moving to telehealth that many patients could not access.
Staff felt vulnerable due to PPE shortages and poor communication, though improved teamwork and time for administrative tasks were noted positives.
Key findings
01Outpatient services were frequently stopped or shifted to telehealth, but patients unable to use technology were often left without service.
02Inpatient care was impacted by rapid discharges of non-COVID patients to free up space, which therapists felt compromised prognosis.
03Therapists experienced anxiety and a sense of risk due to inadequate PPE and irregular information from employers, despite some feeling professionally knowledgeable.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Small sample size (n=39) relative to the total number of registered SLPs in South Africa. Self-administered questionnaire prevented probing for deeper understanding of specific issues. No quantitative measure of burden or stress was collected. Data collected during a specific, intense period (Level 4/5 lockdown) may not reflect general experiences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the reported improvements in teamwork and administrative time as evidence that lockdowns were beneficial for clinical care. The study explicitly links these positives to reduced patient loads and service disruptions that compromised patient prognosis and access.