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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Authors

Govender, Shelissa
Vallabhjee, Annika L.
Charles, Chenay R.
Roesch, Darike
Balton, Sadna

Journal Title

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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.

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Keywords

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), Telepractice, South Africa (SA), Speech therapy, Public healthcare, Audiology

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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.