Introduction: Allied health professionals require skills in interprofessional collaboration to work effectively to achieve person-centred health outcomes. Simulated interprofessional experiences ...provide students with unique opportunities in a supported environment to develop the necessary skills required for future practice.
Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study using a qualitative survey design was employed to understand the attitudes and perceptions of allied health students after completing a university based, cross-campus, interprofessional simulation experience.
Results: Over 200 students from four disciplines across three campuses of a regional Australian university were involved in a simulated experience that included a range of different interprofessional activities. Post-experience survey data from approximately 40% of students suggested that students perceived the experience had several positive learnings, including a better understanding of their own and other professions and the value of interprofessional collaboration and teamwork in client care; increased confidence, particularly in communicating with other healthcare professionals; and a broader understanding of healthcare, including eHealth. The results also highlighted the challenges of implementing a project across multiple disciplines and campuses and provided useful suggestions to further improve the experience.
Conclusion: The findings of this research suggest that carefully developed and authentic interprofessional experiences through simulation can provide allied health students with the opportunity to develop valuable skills in communication and teamwork as well as an emerging appreciation of the benefits of a coordinated team approach to person- centred healthcare.
The World Health Organization's equity objective states that there should be equal access to healthcare for equal need, regardless of location. Disparities between health services and challenges to ...achieving the equity objective have been documented both in Australia and around the world. However, little is known about the extent to which this objective has been met in the field of speech-language pathology in Australia. This study used structured interviews with 74 speech-language pathologists working in rural areas of New South Wales and Victoria. The data obtained were used to develop maps to describe the availability of paediatric speech-language pathology services through consideration of location and frequency. The findings show that 98.60% of localities are unserviced at the ideal frequency of weekly or more often. It is important to note that these percentages include all localities in the represented rural areas of New South Wales and Victoria, some of which are minimally populated. The maps also depict travel and distance as barriers to the accessibility of services and have been used to suggest a critical maximum distance for paediatric outpatient speech-language pathology services in rural New South Wales and Victoria. From the data collected, 50 kilometres was suggested as the critical maximum distance past which consumers become unable or unwilling to travel to access weekly rural speech-language pathology services in rural New South Wales and Victoria. Thus, people living in almost one third of rural localities in rural New South Wales and Victoria lie beyond what is considered by rural speech-language pathologists to be a reasonable travel distance to weekly speech-language pathology services. These results highlight barriers to the achievement of equitable services in rural areas. The results also provide an essential foundation to inform policy development and assist health service planning to meet the needs of rural consumers.
The number of older people is increasing worldwide. Rural areas are of particular concern given the high proportion of older people and potential disadvantages associated with ageing in these areas. ...The subsequent social and economic “panic” has been a catalyst for research and policy focusing on promoting “healthy ageing.” However, a clear definition of healthy ageing does not exist in government policy, the health professions, or the literature. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how eleven older rural Australians define healthy ageing and what factors facilitate or inhibit this process within their community. The findings show that participants defined healthy ageing as an attitude and sense of autonomy, which were related to connections with people, place, and activity. This study demonstrated the importance of individual community data in defining healthy ageing and the factors affecting it. The findings can be used to ensure that health-related programs, services, and policies are community-based, inclusive of older residents, and targeted to the needs of those they aim to serve.
Many individuals who reside in permanent residential aged care (RAC) have a diagnosis of dementia, with the majority experiencing a communication disorder. Existing literature has placed an emphasis ...on the need for staff to undertake communication partner training. This study aimed to investigate the preferences of RAC staff, and their perceived barriers and facilitators to workplace training. Through an exploratory cross-sectional online survey, a sample of RAC workers in Australia were recruited (
104). Descriptive statistics revealed that the majority of participants preferred training to be delivered face to face and being paid for participation. Through content analysis of open-ended questions, seven categories were identified regarding perceived barriers and facilitators for communication partner training in the workplace. These included staff shortages, time pressures, remuneration and training delivery method, and quality of the educators. Additionally, management attitudes were pertinent. These findings may inform the development and outcomes of future communication partner training in RAC.
Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) are prevalent among primary school-aged children. Collaboration between speech and language therapists (SLTs) and teachers is beneficial for supporting ...children’s communication skills. The aim of this study was to investigate the needs of both professional groups and their preferences for service delivery when working with mainstream, primary school-aged children with SLCN. This study was undertaken within one education region in New South Wales, Australia, using a mixed-methods research design. In Phase 1, all teachers (schools n = 156) and all SLTs (n = 36) working within the region were invited to complete a questionnaire. Responses were obtained from 14 teachers and 6 SLTs. In Phase 2, a subsample of participants (n = 4) contributed to a focus group. Within the study sample, minimal collaborative practice was reportedly occurring. Teachers and SLTs expressed a desire for increased training and knowledge and more collaborative practice. Teachers and SLTs also expressed frustration at perceived systemic inadequacies with regard to funding, personnel and resources. Findings from this study suggest that change to service delivery needs to be considered at an individual, interpersonal and organizational level to enable better outcomes for children with SLCN and increased support for their families and the professionals who work with them.
BACKGROUND: Recruitment and retention of skilled health workers into rural areas is a major challenge to achieving equity in health between rural and urban populations. OBJECTIVE: This study explored ...the impact of rurally-based tertiary education in promoting the recruitment and retention of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in non-metropolitan areas and intention to remain in the profession. METHODS: Participants in this cohort study were 133 graduates from a rurally-based speech and language therapy course in Australia who completed the course between 1998 and 2018. Data were collected via an online survey. Data were analysed using inferential statistics, ArcGIS mapping software and content analysis in NVivo12. RESULTS: 65.0% of the graduates practiced in rural or remote areas with just 21.1% practicing in major cities. Most participants’ ideal work location was in a rural area. Benefits of rural practice included seeing a mixed caseload, living near family, work/life balance and loving their location. Challenges of rural practice included limited opportunities for specialist caseloads and career progression. In total, 93.2% of the rural graduates intended to remain in the speech and language therapy profession for the next 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that SLTs who are trained in rural areas with a focus on servicing rural populations are highly likely to enter and remain in rural practice, consistent with the rural pipeline model.
It is acknowledged that a team approach to management of stroke is essential to improving patient outcomes. For the speech-language pathologist (SLP), communication and swallowing are key concerns in ...stroke rehabilitation. However, little is known about how services are provided following stroke in non-metropolitan areas. This paper presents findings from a study investigating issues related to the provision of dysphagia services in non-metropolitan New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. The theme 'You've got to have an impact' was one of the major themes identified from analysis of data gathered via semi-structured interviews with eight SLPs. Participants in this study highlighted compliance with recommendations as a point of breakdown in the care of the patient with dysphagia. Underlying compliance were issues related to team functioning that could hold the key to improving outcomes. These findings have implications for non-metropolitan SLPs' ability to participate within a stroke team, for the way care for patients with dysphagia is conceptualized, and for improvement of compliance with SLP recommendations.
This study explored the impact of an Australian regional university's Clients-as-Tutors Program (CTP) on speech-language pathology students' perception and understanding of client-centred practice.
...Two focus group interviews comprising three final-year students and four newly graduated speech-language pathologists who had completed the CTP. An inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to identify salient themes.
Three themes were identified: (a) learning from theory, (b) learning from others, and (c) learning from yourself. These themes represented all participants' experiences in the CTP, yet there were unique, individual journeys that each participant experienced.
Findings from this study have the capacity to affect change in how client-centred practice is taught at universities across speech-language pathology and other health courses, to disrupt the traditional power structure between client and clinician, and to provide an evidence base for the role of experiential learning in this area.
Introduction: Allied health professionals require skills in interprofessional collaboration to work effectively to achieve person-centred health outcomes. Simulated interprofessional experiences ...provide students with unique opportunities in a supported environment to develop the necessary skills required for future practice.
Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional study using a qualitative survey design was employed to understand the attitudes and perceptions of allied health students after completing a university based, cross-campus, interprofessional simulation experience.
Results: Over 200 students from four disciplines across three campuses of a regional Australian university were involved in a simulated experience that included a range of different interprofessional activities. Post-experience survey data from approximately 40% of students suggested that students perceived the experience had several positive learnings, including a better understanding of their own and other professions and the value of interprofessional collaboration and teamwork in client care; increased confidence, particularly in communicating with other healthcare professionals; and a broader understanding of healthcare, including eHealth. The results also highlighted the challenges of implementing a project across multiple disciplines and campuses and provided useful suggestions to further improve the experience.
Conclusion: The findings of this research suggest that carefully developed and authentic interprofessional experiences through simulation can provide allied health students with the opportunity to develop valuable skills in communication and teamwork as well as an emerging appreciation of the benefits of a coordinated team approach to person- centred healthcare.
It is acknowledged that a team approach to management of stroke is essential to improving patient outcomes. For the speech-language pathologist (SLP), communication and swallowing are key concerns in ...stroke rehabilitation. However, little is known about how services are provided following stroke in non-metropolitan areas. This paper presents findings from a study investigating issues related to the provision of dysphagia services in non-metropolitan New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. The theme 'You've got to have an impact' was one of the major themes identified from analysis of data gathered via semi-structured interviews with eight SLPs. Participants in this study highlighted compliance with recommendations as a point of breakdown in the care of the patient with dysphagia. Underlying compliance were issues related to team functioning that could hold the key to improving outcomes. These findings have implications for non-metropolitan SLPs' ability to participate within a stroke team, for the way care for patients with dysphagia is conceptualized, and for improvement of compliance with SLP recommendations. Adapted from the source document
PDF
