Counselling and care of laryngectomees: a preliminary study.

Abstract

ABSTRACTEighteen laryngectomees were interviewed about aspects of the counselling and care they had received. Seven had undergone primary voice restoration (PVR) surgery. All had been visited by the ENT surgeon pre‐operatively and ten by a speech therapist. Nine patients had been counselled on psychological adjustment by the ENT surgeon, and six by the speech therapist. Five patients had been visited pre‐operatively by a laryngectomee visitor; in only one case was the issue of psychological adjustment raised. Thirteen out of fourteen smokers continued to smoke after diagnosis, of whom seven could recall having been advised to stop. Only two patients in the PVR group belonged to a laryngectomee club compared with eight in the non‐PVR group. The patients were generally satisfied with the care they although four indicated that changes could be made. One patient who was not given an opportunity to see a laryngectomee visitor would have liked to do so and two patients would have liked to see a speech therapist prior to the operation but were not given the opportunity.