Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Dysphagia
Published in: Dysphagia 6/2022

Open Access 15-04-2022 | Care | Review

Telepractice and Dysphagia Management: The Era of COVID-19 and Beyond

Authors: Elizabeth C. Ward, Madeline Raatz, Jeanne Marshall, Laurelie R. Wishart, Clare L. Burns

Published in: Dysphagia | Issue 6/2022

Login to get access

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic drove rapid and widespread uptake of telepractice across all aspects of healthcare. The delivery of dysphagia care was no exception, with telepractice recognized as a service modality that could support social distancing/infection control, overcome service delivery challenges created by lockdowns/service closures, and address consumer concerns about attending in-person appointments. Now, almost two years since most services first rapidly deployed telepractice, it is time to reflect on the big picture, and consider how telepractice will continue as a service option that is sustained and integrated into mainstream dysphagia care. It is also timely to consider the research agenda needed to support this goal. To this end, in this paper we present 4 discussion topics, which raise key considerations for the current and future use of telepractice within adult and pediatric dysphagia services. These are (1) Dysphagia services must meet consumer and service needs; (2) Aspects of dysphagia services can be safely and reliably provided via telepractice; (3) Telepractice can be used in flexible ways to support the delivery of dysphagia services; and (4) Providing quality dysphagia services via telepractice requires planned implementation and evaluation. Then directions for future research are discussed. These considerations are presented to help shift perspectives away from viewing telepractice as simply a COVID-19 “interim-care solution”. Rather, we encourage clinicians, services, and researchers to embrace a future of “integrated care”, where traditional dysphagia services are combined with telepractice models, to enhance the quality of care provided to our clients.
Literature
1.
2.
Hill AJ, Miller L. A survey of the clinical use of telehealth in speech-language pathology across Australia. J Clin Pract Speech-Lang Pathol. 2012;14:110–7.
3.
4.
Taylor OD. Speech and language screening for children with medical complexity: a comparison of telepractice and in-person methods. 2017.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Rule DW, Karia MK. Speech-language pathology and audiology care in the COVID-19 era: shared experiences. Perspect ASHA Special Interest Groups. 2020;5:1776–8.CrossRef
16.
Cottrell M, Burns CL, Jones A, et al. Sustaining allied health telehealth services beyond the rapid response to COVID-19: learning from patient and staff experiences at a large quaternary hospital. J Telemed Telecare. 2021;27:615–24.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Burgess A, Purdy S, Jackson B. Allied health professionals’ perspectives of working with dysphagia in a rural paediatric team. N Z Med J. 2016;129:87–9.PubMed
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
Resnick R, Hergenroeder E. Children and the emergency room. Child Today. 1975;4:5–8.PubMed
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
Burns CL, Ward EC, Hill AJ, et al. Randomized controlled trial of a multisite speech pathology telepractice service providing swallowing and communication intervention to patients with head and neck cancer: evaluation of service outcomes. Head Neck. 2017;39:932–9. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1002/​hed.​24706.CrossRefPubMed
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
Burns CL, Ward EC, Hill AJ, et al. The impact of image transfer on image quality in videofluoroscopic swallow studies. Dysphagia. 2014;29:799–800.
54.
Clawson B, Selden M, Lacks M, et al. Complex pediatric feeding disorders: using teleconferencing technology to improve access to a treatment program. Pediatr Nurs. 2008;34:213–6.PubMed
55.
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
Moran AM, Coyle J, Pope R, et al. Supervision, support and mentoring interventions for health practitioners in rural and remote contexts: An integrative review and thematic synthesis of the literature to identify mechanisms for successful outcomes. Hum Resour Health. 2014;12:1–30. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1186/​1478-4491-12-10.CrossRef
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
Moffatt JJ, Eley DS. Barriers to the up-take of telemedicine in Australia—a view from providers. Rural Remote Health. 2011;11:1–6.
87.
88.
89.
Department of Health and Human Services. Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information (HIPAA). Washington: Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration; 2004.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
May J, Erickson S. Telehealth: why not? Perspectives of speech-language pathologists not engaging in telehealth. J Clin Pract Speech-Lang Pathol. 2014;16:147–51.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
104.
105.
106.
Metadata
Title
Telepractice and Dysphagia Management: The Era of COVID-19 and Beyond
Authors
Elizabeth C. Ward
Madeline Raatz
Jeanne Marshall
Laurelie R. Wishart
Clare L. Burns
Publication date
15-04-2022
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Dysphagia / Issue 6/2022
Print ISSN: 0179-051X
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0460
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00455-022-10444-2

Other articles of this Issue 6/2022

Dysphagia 6/2022 Go to the issue

Review

An International Commentary on Dysphagia and Dysphonia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Original Article

Food-Grade Activated Charcoal for Contrast-Enhanced Photoacoustic Imaging of Aspiration: A Phantom Study

Original Article

Use of Pharyngeal High-Resolution Manometry to Evaluate Dysphagia in Adults with Motor Neurone Disease: A Scoping Review

Original Article

Impact of Limb Phenotype on Tongue Denervation Atrophy, Dysphagia Penetrance, and Survival Time in a Mouse Model of ALS

Original Article

Accuracy of High-Resolution Pharyngeal Manometry Metrics for Predicting Aspiration and Residue in Oropharyngeal Dysphagia Patients with Poor Pharyngeal Contractility

Review

Reliability of Ultrasound Examination of Hyoid Bone Displacement Amplitude: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis