Bridging the access gap : the telepractice experience of speech therapists and audiologists at a public health care facility in South Africa
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Date
Authors
Govender, Shelissa
Vallabhjee, Annika L.
Charles, Chenay R.
Roesch, Darike
Balton, Sadna
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
Abstract
South Africa is a low to middle income country (LMIC) with a population of 60 million people. The public health sector serves more than 80% of the population. Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital is a central level public health care facility situated in Gauteng. The Speech Therapy and Audiology Department provides insight into their telepractice services through a qualitative approach. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in therapists exploring telepractice as a sustainable model of service delivery. Therapists and patients encountered many challenges to the implementation of telepractice, however, the commitment of therapists ensured that creative solutions were developed. A comprehensive needs analysis at public health institutions is required to ensure the sustainability of telepractice. A hybrid model (telepractice and in-person consults) holds the potential to reduce the financial burden on patients and increase access to quality patient- centered care.
Description
Keywords
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Telepractice, South Africa (SA), Speech therapy, Public healthcare, Audiology
Sustainable Development Goals
Citation
Govender, S., Vallabhjee, A. L., Charles, C. R., Roesch, D., & Balton, S. (2022). Bridging the Access Gap: The Telepractice Experience of Speech Therapists and Audiologists at a Public Health Care Facility in South Africa. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 14(2): 1-12. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2022.6517.