Experience Delivering Tele-practice Services among Upcoming and Working Professionals of Speech Language Pathology

Abstract

Introduction Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic, tele-practice has become the new normal in the field of Speech-Language Pathology. Students and professionals throughout the country are embracing this new normal. Both groups confront problems; documentation of the problems may provide insight into how to improve tele-practice services. Aim The purpose of this study was to compare the problems that undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and working professionals in the field of Speech-Language Pathology experience in daily practice. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey study using a web-based questionnaire was conducted to examine the obstacles experienced by students and working professionals in the field of speech-language pathology, as well as their perspectives about tele-practice. There was a total of 20 questions. Divided into four sections, closed questions and Likert scale questions were used for demographic details, practice aspects, experience during telerehabilitation, and evaluation and treatment. Results The study had 118 participants (47% postgraduate students, 29% undergraduate students, and 24% professionals). Only 16% of clinicians were properly trained to provide services via tele-mode. All participants reported providing service to the pediatric population to be challenging, with autism spectrum disorder, fluency disorders, and hearing impairment to be difficult to handle cases. In tele-mode, undergraduate students reported a decrease in the number of cases and difficulties selecting therapy materials when compared with the other two groups. All three groups reported a lack of evidence-based teletherapy resources available. There was no difference in perceived difficulty between the three groups while conducting assessment and achieving treatment goals via tele-mode. Conclusion Tele-practice is generally recognized and employed, according to data availability. In terms of resource selection, evaluation, and treatment sessions, the difficulties faced by students and experts are disturbing. In the realm of speech-language pathology, strategies to address these issues could pave the way for tele-practice. As a result, better policies are strongly advised to address these difficulties to improve future tele-mode service quality.

Experiences of South African speech–language therapists providing telepractice during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A qualitative survey

“…Although it could be argued that there are significant overlaps between in‐person and online therapy, there are some distinct differences unique to telepractice which require thorough understanding and specific clinical skills. While several telepractice resources and position papers have emerged during the pandemic, these do not necessarily engage with the more practical ‘how‐to’ details and some of the challenges involved in telepractice and the lack of evidence‐based telepractice resources in the field (Bhattarai et al., 2022). These telepractice gaps will need to be addressed urgently.…”

Considerations for paediatric student‐led telepractice in speech‐language therapy: A pilot observational study from South Africa

“…Our overall findings and themes are consistent with those in current telehealth literature in the field, both before and during COVID‐19, indicating similar experiences across the globe with implementing (student‐led) telepractice. Other authors have described, for example, the need to include caregivers and the client's environment in therapy (Grillo, 2017) and navigate this relationship carefully (Page et al., 2021), the need for guidance on how to select appropriate telepractice materials (Overby, 2018), challenges with engaging clients online (Overby, 2018), limitations in terms of preparation of students for telepractice (Bhattarai et al., 2022) and challenges related to using technology effectively (Page et al., 2021; Roman et al., 2021)—all of which are evident in the findings of our study. Many of the challenges we identified are generic to both telepractice and in‐person therapy sessions—for example, setting appropriate goals, selecting and preparing suitable activities/material, providing clear instructions, offering specific feedback and reinforcement, optimizing client interaction, managing time efficiently and encouraging rapport and relationship building.…”

“…Some of the pre‐pandemic literature on telepractice is now outdated since technology has advanced significantly. In general, there is a lack of evidence‐based telepractice resources available, confirmed by Bhattarai et al.’s (2022) survey of students and practitioners. Support offered by organizations and bodies via frequently asked question sections, position papers and website resources—and the support offered to students by authors such as Lowman et al.…”

“…There is some literature available related to telepractice used in student training programs both before (e.g., Overby, 2018; Rende & Ramsberger, 2011) and during COVID‐19 (e.g., Bhattarai et al., 2022; Hatcher et al., 2022; Page et al., 2021; Roman et al., 2021; Voniati et al., 2021). This literature highlights students' mixed feelings about telepractice, difficulties in using software and locating appropriate therapy approaches for online work, and a general feeling among students that telepractice is more difficult than in‐person work.…”