BackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic necessitated that speech–language therapists (SLTs) make a radical change to provide services to their clients safely via telepractice. For many practitioners, telepractice was an unfamiliar mode of practice that had to be implemented under emergency conditions. Limited literature on SLTs’ experiences of implementing telepractice in the Global South during this time is available.AimsTo explore the experiences of South African SLTs (N = 45) who implemented telepractice services during the COVID‐19 pandemic.Methods & ProceduresSLTs across the country were invited via professional bodies to participate in an online qualitative survey distributed in 2021. Data were analysed using thematic analysis principles.Outcomes & ResultsWe describe participants’ reports of their current telepractices, discuss their perspectives on accessibility to telepractice for SLTs, clients and caregivers, and working with specific diagnoses, and consider the support needs of SLTs to enhance telepractice services. Most participants work in private practice or school settings with primarily paediatric caseloads. They reported telepractice as a positive experience and felt it was effective, although they judged that some clients were not well served by telepractice. SLTs felt underprepared for the rapid switch to telepractice and the flexibility required, especially given the limited availability of guidelines given the pandemic crisis. Greater preparation is required for telepractice sessions and more attention needs to be paid to supporting caregiver involvement online.Conclusions & ImplicationsTelepractice involves various barriers and facilitators, many of which seem common across Global North and South contexts. Support is required to enhance current telepractices in terms of computer literacy, technical education, different telepractice methods and caregiver coaching. Our findings have the potential to enable the development of support, training and guidelines to improve SLTs’ confidence in providing telepractice whilst delivering quality services in an accessible and safe manner.WHAT THIS PAPER ADDSWhat is already known on the subject Many SLTs had to transition quickly to telepractice service provision during COVID‐19, with limited existing guidelines and support. Although there is some literature available on SLTs’ experiences of implementing telepractice in the Global North, perspectives from the Global South during this time are limited. It is important to understand experiences, barriers and facilitators to telepractice provision to provide tailored support to practitioners.What this paper adds to existing knowledge Telepractice provides a viable alternative to in‐person therapy for specific clients and contexts. Telepractice presents both benefits and barriers for effective clinical practice across Global North and South contexts. Greater preparation is required for telepractice sessions and more attention needs to be paid to enhancing caregiver involvement online, especially since many practitioners are likely to continue offering telepractice services post‐pandemic.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Clinicians felt underprepared for the rapid switch from service delivery mode to telepractice. Greater support, training and guidelines for students and practitioners are required to enhance current practices and ensure practitioners are equipped to provide effective telepractice in the future. In particular, support should cover technological aspects, caregiver coaching and online assessment options, especially for paediatric clients.

Background: South Africa has the highest prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) worldwide. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is expected to improve the quality of life for these individuals but requires long-term medication intake. Poor pill adherence and related dysphagia are undocumented for individuals on HAART regimens living in South Africa.Aim: To conduct a scoping review describing the presentation of pill swallowing difficulties and dysphagia experiences of individuals with HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in South Africa.Method: This review describes the presentation of pill swallowing difficulties and dysphagia experiences of individuals with HIV and AIDS in South Africa using a modified version of the Arksey and O’Malley framework. Five search engines targeting published journal articles were reviewed. Two hundred and twenty-seven articles were retrieved; however, following the exclusion criteria based on PICO, only three articles were included. Qualitative analysis was completed.Results: The reviewed articles identified swallowing difficulties that adults with HIV and AIDS experienced and confirmed non-adherence to medical regimens. Barriers and facilitators of pill swallowing with dysphagia due to the side-effects of the pill itself were documented with physical properties of the pill not influencing adherence.Conclusion: The speech-language pathologists (SLPs) role with individuals with HIV/AIDS to facilitate improved pill adherence was lacking with limited research on the management of swallowing difficulties in this population. The review identified dysphagia and pill adherence management by the SLP in South Africa as caveats for further research.Contribution: Speech-language pathologists must monitor swallowing during mealtimes as well as pill swallowing in individuals with HIV/AIDS due to the compromise of their oral health and oral structures. Speech-language pathologists therefore have to advocate for their role in the team managing this population of patients. Their involvement may reduce the risk of nutritional compromise as well as patient non-compliance with medication stemming from pain and inability to swallow solid oral dosage forms of medication.

Purpose The far-reaching and extensive ramifications of COVID-19 from the impact on people, sectors, livelihoods, lifestyles, and typical day-to-day routines may only be fully realized over the next decade. Over and above the health sector, education was also hard hit. The harmful effects of the sudden cessation of synchronous learning for learners at every phase of education in South Africa remain perplexing and not yet fully understood. For students in their senior years of qualification in degrees at university, the ramifications of COVID-19 over 2020 have been especially significant given their certain entry into the work arena in 2021. Method This article highlights how the understanding of the full impact of COVID-19 in the university space cannot be separated from the struggles that have and continue to permeate higher education in South African universities since the fall of apartheid. Results The need for tangible data showing evidence of transformation within lecture spaces, teaching content, staff and student diversity, as well as access and belonging by students within the academic space, has been less than ideal. Thus, despite the writings in policy, evidence of real change at the ground level has been sparse. Although it is easy to nonchalantly overlook a small department, such as that of speech-language pathology, within the larger higher education sector in Johannesburg, South Africa, we showcase what we believe were gains in transformation in our department, until the somewhat rude appearance of COVID-19. Conclusion Despite a notable difference in the digital divide between students with and without access (financial, technological, and time), the promulgation for asynchronous online learning to ensure adherence to academic and clinical competency bode well for some, but not all, students.