When uncertainty becomes the norm: The Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital's Speech Therapy and Audiology Department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sadna Balton, Annika L Vallabhjee, Stephanie C Pillay
PMID 36073072WHAT IT FOUND
A hospital speech therapy department stopped outpatient services and restricted inpatient care during the pandemic.
They maintained contact with patients by shifting to telehealth, creating home care packages, and developing strict prioritization guidelines for swallowing and hearing assessments.
Key findings
01The department stopped all outpatient services immediately and directed inpatient care toward COVID-19, cancelling appointments booked up to three months in advance.
02Telehealth use increased from 0% pre-pandemic to 46% in 2021, with 520 synchronous and 632 asynchronous interventions conducted between June 2020 and December 2021.
03High-risk procedures like speech-valve trials and modified Evans blue-dye tests were stopped, and treatment frequency was reduced based on transmission risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is an autoethnographic narrative, not a controlled study, so it describes one department's experience without comparison to other sites. The authors acknowledge that protocols were developed in a silo without consultation with other disciplines in the hospital. Data on patient outcomes is not reported; the focus is on service delivery processes and staff experiences. The account is written by the department leaders, which may introduce bias in how challenges and successes are framed.
Declared interests
No specific funding sources or conflicts of interest are declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the increased telehealth usage as evidence of improved patient outcomes. The paper reports service delivery statistics and operational changes, not clinical efficacy or patient recovery rates.