Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the views and satisfaction of the final year students of the Department of Speech and Language Therapy (SLT candidates) at Anadolu University regarding the tele-practice service they provide within the scope of clinical practice courses and the clients who receive tele-practice from the aforementioned students of SLT.
Method: Sixty-eight SLT candidates between the ages of 21-48 who provided tele-therapy services for developmental language disorders, speech sound disorders, fluency disorders and voice disorders, and 65 clients [with parents/caregivers if they are children] or their relatives between the ages of 5-54 who received tele-practice services of these disorders. Data on the demographic information of the participants and their views on tele-practice services were obtained through online questionnaire forms.
Results: According to the findings of the study, 75% of the SLT candidates and 95.4% of the clients were satisfied with the tele-practice service, 89.2% of the clients reported that they would recommend tele-practice to others and 78.5% of them reported that they would prefer tele-practice again if they were given a possibility. It was determined that 64.7% of the SLT candidates and 72.3% of the clients found the materials used in tele-practice sufficient, and the opinions of the SLT candidates and clients about each other were positive. As a result of Chi-square analysis, it was concluded that SLT candidates and clients had different opinions on the following items: if the client age is important in therapy, if the assessment made in tele- practice is sufficient for diagnosis and therapy program preparation, that online therapies are sufficient, if there are any difficulties in using technology, and if clients will benefit more from face-to-face therapy. In this context, it was determined that SLT candidates tended to have more pessimistic attitudes toward these issues than clients.
Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was observed that SLT candidates and clients were satisfied with the tele practice service. Especially during the pandemic period, it was found that tele-practice service stood out in terms of health safety, saving time, and providing ease of access to therapy; however, it might present problems such as technological issues, length of material preparation time, lack of contact with the client, and difficulty in keeping child clients in front of the screen. Although unfavorable situations were reported, it is possible to say that the views of both SLT candidates and clients towards tele-practice services were positive especially in health conditions that might cause face-to-face therapy impossible, such as a pandemic. In addition, based on the current research findings, it could be foreseen that tele-therapy will have an important role in SLT services after the pandemic outbreak and may become widespread in the future.
Keywords
tele-practice, speech and language therapy, client-therapist satisfaction
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