Purpose: Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the usage of tele-therapy services has been increased in Turkey. There also seems to be an increase in the use of tele-therapy in speech and language pathology services. Therefore, the satisfaction levels of the clients in tele-therapy appears to be an important subject to examine. The aim of this study was to investigate the satisfaction levels in individuals who receive tele-therapy services for speech and language therapy. The data has been examined based on tele-therapy sessions the participants received and, the type of disorder they had. Method: This study is based on data from 42 participants (24 men, 18 women). The "Tele-therapy Client Satisfaction Questionnaire in Speech and Language Disorders" was prepared by the researchers and delivered to the participants through online platforms. The questionnaire consists of 26 questions and six sub-dimensions. These sub-dimensions "Therapist's Competence", "Communication Adequacy", "Accessibility and Payments", "Equipment for Tele-therapy", "Generalized Tele-therapy Satisfaction", and " Questionnaire Total Point" were analyzed. Since the data did not show normal distribution (Shapiro Wilk test; p < .05), the statistical analysis was carried out using non-parametric Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests. The results were evaluated at a 95% confidence interval, and significance was evaluated at p < .05 level. Results: The results revealed no significant difference between the sub-dimensions and total score, except for the "Communication competence" sub-dimension, based on the variables of the type of disorder and the number of tele-therapy sessions received. In the "Communication Adequacy" sub-dimension, a statistical significance was found among the participants with fluency disorders-speech sound disorders (Mann Whitney U test; p = .044 < .05) and fluency disorders-voice disorders (Mann Whitney U test; p = .019 < .05). Conclusion: According to the variables in our study; type of disorder, the competence of the therapist, and the number of tele-therapy sessions received, there is no significant difference between the satisfaction of the tele-therapy in speech and language services. It was concluded that the participants with fluency disorders, speech sound disorders, and voice disorders gave significantly higher scores on “Communication Adequacy”. It is thought that the result obtained is due to the number of participants between the two groups. Within the scope of this study, the first data on the satisfaction of tele-therapy in Turkey was reached. It is thought that this study can be repeated by increasing the number of participants. Future studies may also examine the satisfaction levels of participants with speech and language disorders separately.
Keywords
speech and language disorders, tele-therapy usage in speech and language pathology, tele-therapy, tele-health, consumer satisfaction
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