Development and application of an administrative instrument to guide research on telehealth in speech and language pathology

ABSTRACT

Purpose:

to develop and apply an instrument to guide research on Telehealth in Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology, and to identify the strong and weak aspects of these projects.

Methods:

a questionnaire addressing administrative, technological, financial and sustainable points was developed. Eleven teachers who had been working on projects on Telehealth in Speech and Language Pathology and Audiology answered the questionnaire. These data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the SWOT analysis was applied, enabling the identification of the strengths and weaknesses, and the Ishikawa Diagram used to identify the effects and causes.

Results:

the questionnaires were applied and 32 projects in which the purpose of the project, the quality of the information, the communication channels and the benefits to users were identified as strengths, were analyzed, having as the main causes the use of specific multimedia, continued education, the amount of available information and the commitment of the team. Weaknesses such as the absence of qualified personnel in certain stages of the project, the lack of hardware and software updating, the digital exclusion of users and the obsolescence of the project were seen, the main causes owing to the difficulty in technical support, professionals for marketing and training strategies and the maintenance of the developed projects.

Conclusion:

the questionnaire was developed and applied, so as to identify the strengths and weaknesses related to training. Maximizing of the time and updating of digital resources were identified as important inputs to extend the benefits of telehealth projects, towards organizational competitive advantage.

Keywords:
Telemedicine; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Planning