Telepractice for Adult Speech-Language Pathology Services: A Systematic Review
Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups
Weidner, K., & Lowman, J. (2020).
Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 5(1), 326-338.
This systematic review investigates the use of speech-language pathology services delivered via telepractice for adult populations such as aphasia, dysphagia, Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
No funding received
January 1, 2014 to March 2019
Peer-reviewed studies published in English (not further specified)
31
<div>For individuals with chronic aphasia, language and communication treatments delivered via telepractice were found to demonstrate positive results and feasibility.</div>
<div>For individuals with Parkinson’s disease, five studies investigating the provision of Lee Silverman Voice Treatment LOUD via remote videoconferencing service delivery reported comparable voice outcomes to in-person sessions. Some outcomes (e.g., vocal intensity, measures of vocal pitch) demonstrated unequal results or technical difficulties in measuring.</div>
<div>For individuals with TBI two studies investigating different TBI interventions via telepractice found treatments to be feasible. Interventions included a version of Facial Affect Recognition and speech-language pathology videoconferencing for cognitive rehabilitation.</div>
<div>Three studies comparing the diagnostic accuracy of dysphagia assessment via telepractice reported high agreement between in-person and remote diagnostic findings. While patients with severe dysphagia conditions were more difficult to assess, similar diagnostic challenges were also observed in the in-person setting.</div>
<div>Telepractice language and communication screening or assessment for people with aphasia had adequate test reliability and comparable intra-rater and interrater reliability to in-person testing across two studies.</div>
<div>There is preliminary efficacy for the delivery of SLP treatment and assessment via telepractice for a variety of adult populations. However, additional high-quality research using stronger study designs with control groups is warranted to determine best practices for SLP screening, assessment, and treatments via telepractice.</div>
<div>Speech and language services delivered via telepractice were found to be feasible for individuals with primary progressive aphasia, with notable improvements in targeted naming skills.</div>
