Abstract
PurposeThe study aimed to investigate changes in the role of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. It also assessed the SLPs’ perceptions of delivering services using telehealth as a part of their everyday clinical practice before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodSLPs in Saudi Arabia were invited to complete a web-based survey covering questions related to changes to the role of SLPs during the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in the ways speech services are delivered; and the benefits and barriers of using telehealth in clinical practice as identified by SLPs.ResultsNinety-one SLPs completed the survey. About 94% of the respondents experienced changes in their role as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nature of changes they had experienced including decreased work time, providing support and counseling to patients or caregivers using the telephone, providing assessment and therapy using telehealth, and working with a limited number of cases. Ninety-three percent of the respondents who have used telehealth started to use it only during the pandemic. Mostly seen caseloads were pediatric speech and language disorders. Further, 96% of respondents used telehealth for counseling, 69% for rehabilitation or treatment, 63% for screening, 56% for evaluation or assessment, 48% for a referral to other professional services, and 46% for differential diagnosis. About 70% of the SLPs showed interest to continue using telehealth in the future. Several benefits were identified to using telehealth, including accessibility, cost efficiency, and the ability to engage patients with their families in therapy sessions. On the other hand, barriers to using telehealth included internet and technical issues, lack of direct communication, and difficulty controlling the therapy setting.ConclusionsThe study has shown that SLPs in Saudi Arabia have experienced changes during the COVID-19 outbreak. The survey responses also indicate that the SLPs are adopting telehealth applications at an accelerated pace as a result of the pandemic.
Highlights
In late 2019, a new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19), originating in Wuhan, China, began spreading rapidly and has become a major challenge for countries all around the world
The study has shown that speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in Saudi Arabia have experienced changes during the COVID-19 outbreak
In other clinics, services were temporarily discontinued, and this was evident in a recent study conducted in Saudi Arabia where most of the caregivers reported suspension of speech therapy sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic [6]
Summary
In late 2019, a new strain of coronavirus (COVID-19), originating in Wuhan, China, began spreading rapidly and has become a major challenge for countries all around the world. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries have applied measures and restrictions intended to limit the spread of the pandemic These include travel restrictions, social distancing, self-isolation, work-from-home, closures of educational institutions, gyms, and places suited to large gatherings, and ceasing some services, including rehabilitation [3]. Further efforts to combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic involve the prioritization of some health services with the result that non-urgent appointments and outpatient clinics were canceled or rescheduled. These include therapeutic services (e.g., speech-language pathology (SLP) and physiotherapy), non-emergency dental treatment, laboratory services, pharmacy, non-urgent elective surgery, diagnostic imaging, and non-urgent general radiology [4,5,6]. Many SLPs have started providing their services via telehealth during the pandemic to avoid the risk of transmission [7,8,9]
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