The role of speech therapist in the patient care team for bariatric surgery

Abstract

The work of the speech therapist with patients undergoing Bariatric Surgery (BS) is still little explored, although essential for the adequate preparation of the subject for surgery, as well as for his short and long term recovery. Given its importance and it’s still limited performance in this scenario, the objective of this study was to verify the perception of patients about the importance and effectiveness of speech therapy both in the pre and postoperative period of BS. Questionnaires were carried out with 44 patients divided into 4 groups, according to the moment of bariatric surgery follow-up. Most of the subjects were unaware of the role of the speech therapist at the beginning of the treatment, but they considered their guidance and their presence in the team relevant during the process. The ignorance of the role of the SpeechLanguage Pathologist in the care of bariatric patients is related to the incipient participation of Speech-Language Pathologists in this scenario. The positive impact of speech therapy guidelines in the preoperative period improves quality of life, provides information and clarifies subjects’ doubts and fears, enhancing results and minimizing postoperative problems. The professional’s guidance in relation to the aspects experienced in the patients’ daily lives implies a consensus on the importance of the participation of the Speech Therapist during the process of monitoring the BS. Patients’ perception of the importance of the guidelines received by the Speech-Language Pathologist was well-known, as well as their necessary participation in the multidisciplinary team. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of speech therapy both in the pre and in the short and long term postoperative period.