Rowland, S, Mills, C orcid.org/0000-0002-3436-3876 and Walshe, M (2023) Perspectives on speech and language pathology practices and service provision in adult critical care settings in Ireland and international settings: A cross-sectional survey. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25 (2). pp. 219-230. ISSN 1754-9507
Abstract
Purpose: Patients admitted to critical care (CC) are at risk of impaired swallowing and communication function. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play an important role in this context. In Ireland and internationally speech-language pathology CC guidelines are lacking, with possible variations in practice. To compare clinical practices in dysphagia, communication and tracheostomy management among SLPs working in adult CC units in Ireland and internationally, and explore their perspectives on training, skills and resources.
Method: Participants were SLPs working in CC. An international online survey sought information on (i) SLP workforce demographics and staffing levels, (ii) current dysphagia and communication assessment and management practices, (iii) practices and perspectives on training, skills and resources.
Result: 366 responses were received across 29 countries. 18.03% (66/366) of these respondents worked in Ireland. Findings showed similarities and differences in practices. Total CC SLP whole-time equivalent (WTE) at each staff grade was lower (mean difference: −0.21 to −0.65 WTE p <.001) than desired for optimal service delivery. Negative effects of under-staffing were reported. Recommendations that all tracheostomised patients receive SLP input was unmet in 66% (220/334) of services.
Conclusion: SLP input in CC is limited in terms of dedicated posts, multidisciplinary team (MDT) involvement, consistent management approaches and training opportunities internationally. Implications of findings are discussed.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. |
Keywords: | critical care; practice patterns; service provision; speech-language pathology; international survey |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 21 Feb 2022 07:52 |
Last Modified: | 15 Jan 2024 13:05 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor and Francis |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/17549507.2022.2032346 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:183784 |