Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions of Telepractice Services for Speech-Language Therapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Survey Study

Abstract

Background The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the suspension of face-to-face classes and a considerable increase in the use of telepractice services in speech-language pathology. However, little is known about parents’ and students’ satisfaction with telepractice services and their preferences for different service delivery modes. These factors may affect therapy effectiveness and the future adoption of telepractice. Objective We evaluated students’ and parents’ perceptions of telepractice efficacy and their preferences for different service delivery modes (ie, on-site practice vs telepractice). We also identified factors that affect parents’ and students’ preferences for different service delivery modes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A 19-question survey on telepractice satisfaction and preferences was administered to 41 Hong Kong Chinese students and 85 parents who received telepractice services from school-based speech-language pathologists during the COVID-19 class suspension period. In addition to providing demographic information and data on the implementation of telepractice services, all participants were asked to rate their perceptions of the efficacy of telepractice services and compare on-site practices to telepractice on a 5-point Likert scale (ie, 1=strongly disagree/prefer the use of on-site speech-language therapy services and 5=strongly agree/prefer the use of telepractice services). Results Despite the fact that telepractice efficacy was highly rated by parents (95% CI 3.30-3.66) and students (95% CI 3.21-3.76), both groups believed that telepractice was less effective than on-site practices (parents: 95% CI 2.14-2.52; students: 95% CI 2.08-2.65). Moreover, parents preferred on-site practices over telepractice (95% CI 2.04-2.43), whereas students did not prefer one mode of practice over the other (95% CI 2.74-3.41). A significant association between telepractice efficacy and a preference for telepractice services was found only among the students (τ=.43, P<.001), not the parents (τ=.07; P=.44). Conclusions Although telepractice is an acceptable alternative service delivery option for providing speech and language therapy services to school-aged individuals, speech-language therapists and parents must play a more proactive role in telepractice services to facilitate effective communication between clinicians and parents.

Service Delivery and the Use of Telepractice During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Iceland

“…However, usage of telepractice after the first wave was still greater than in the pre-COVID-19 phase. This rapid uptake of telepractice to fill the void in speech-language pathology services created by COVID-19 restrictions is a commonly reported experience for SLPs around the world (Aggarwal et al, 2020;Heiskanen et al, 2021;Lam et al, 2021). Similarly to other research on telepractice during COVID-19, this study found that a wide variety of platforms were used to deliver telehealth services (Aggarwal et al, 2020;Tambyraja et al, 2021).…”

Genesis of a New Generation of Telepractitioners: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Pediatric Speech-Language Pathology Services

“…P rior to March 2020, only 1.6% to 9% of global pediatric speech-language pathology services were provided via telehealth and using telecommunications technologies for synchronous videoconferencing (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2020b; Fong et al, 2020;Hill & Miller, 2012;Lam et al, 2021;Mohan et al, 2017;Taylor et al, 2014;Tucker, 2012). Many speechlanguage pathologists questioned the efficacy of telehealth or raised concerns about client comfort (Freckmann et al, 2017;Keck & Doarn, 2014;Lustig, 2012).…”

“…Speech-language pathologists' negative attitudes, such as the perceived impersonal delivery of services or limited client-caregiver-clinician interactions, represented additional barriers to implementation of telehealth services (Freckmann et al, 2017). Thus, lack of knowledge and training in telehealth as well as speech-language pathologists' perceptions and attitudes about remote service delivery prevented providers from considering synchronous videoconferencing as a viable option for their services (Grillo, 2017;Lam et al, 2021;Taylor et al, 2014).…”

Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf die logopädische Therapie von Kindern mit einer Sprachentwicklungsstörung

“…Trotz dieser Bemühungen, auch in schwierigen Zeiten der COVID-19-Pandemie eine kontinuierliche Betreuung zu gewährleisten, müssen wir berücksichtigen, dass nicht alle Patienten bzw. ihre Eltern die teletherapeutische Sprachtherapie so hoch einschätzen wie eine Therapie vor Ort [32]. Darüber hinaus scheint es weit verbreitete Ungleichheiten in der Versorgung mit teletherapeutischer Therapie zu geben.…”