Speech-language pathologists? role in the multi-disciplinary management and rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.2340/20030711-1000037Keywords:
COVID-19, speech-language pathologist, swallowing, communication, aerosol precaution, tele-practiceAbstract
Respiratory and neurological complications in patients in various stages of COVID-19 emphasize the role of speech-language pathologists in the assessment and management of swallowing and communication deficits in these patients. The speech-language pathologist works within a multidisciplinary team to identify these deficits, and aims to improve swallowing, nutrition, hydration, speech, and quality of life in the medical the settings. This paper describes the unique symptoms and complications associated with COVID-19 that require speech-language pathologist services in medical (acute care, inpatient, and outpatient rehabilitation) facilities. The speech-language pathologist is primarily responsible for dysphagia screening and diagnosis in the acute care units, dysphagia and tracheostomy management in the inpatient units, and swallowing, speech and voice rehabilitation and neurocognitive management in the outpatient units. This paper also discusses the current therapeutic services and the precautions that speech-language pathologists must take to reduce transmission of the virus.Downloads
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Copyright (c) 2020 Bijoyaa Mohapatra, Ranjini Mohan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles in JRM-CC are Open Access and, unless otherwise specified, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This license permits sharing, adapting, and using the material for any purpose, including commercial use, with the condition of providing full attribution to the original publication.