Medical Practitioner's awareness on Speech-Language Pathologists and their services in India: A pilot study.

Abstract

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) strive to provide rehabilitation for people with communication disorders. In the Indian scenario, general physicians act as a source of reference for SLPs. This article provides an insight into the awareness of SLPs among medical professionals. Interview based questionnaire was prepared in Google forms and circulated via different social media platforms. A total of 120 participants from various medical streams completed the form. Thirteen participants were excluded as they were either students or interns. Among 107 participants, only 60 (56.1%) were aware of SLPs. Management of stuttering, aphasia, cleft lip & palate, and hearing impairment (91.7%, 85%, 81.7% and 81.7% respectively) had higher popularity than laryngectomy and swallowing disorders (35% and 30% respectively). Out of 60 participants, 98.3% referred patients to SLPs for various communication disorders. The study exposed that nearly half of the practitioners are unaware of SLPs. However, all the practitioners agreed that there should be a lecture on speech-language pathology for medical students.