Tag Archive: healthcare
February 10, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
The impact of Covid-19 on people with AAC needs, their families, and service providers has been vast. In today’s featured video, David Niemeijer and Erin Sheldon discuss the impact of the novel pandemic. They explore the many weaknesses it has exposed in the AAC service delivery landscape and offer some possible solutions for addressing these issues. Direct Link to Video – https://vimeo.com/491509316
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Emergency, healthcare
May 16, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Hospitalization can be difficult and scary under any circumstance, but when the individual uses AAC, there are increased risks for adverse effects and other problems. How can we reduce risk and improve communication between healthcare providers and people who use AAC? Today’s featured video is part of the wonderful USSAAC Webinar Series. Dr. Richard Hurtig, from the University of Iowa and Voxello, discusses ways to facilitate improved communication between hospitalized patients with AAC needs and healthcare providers. Many thanks to USSAAC, Dr. Hurtig, and ISAAC for making this archived webinar available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U71mk-dSwk4
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: adverse effects, healthcare, hospital, patient provider communication, USSAAC
December 7, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Encounters with healthcare providers can range from the mundane (e.g., getting a prescription filled) and routine (e.g., doctor’s appointment) to situations which are more complicated and urgent (e.g., Emergency Room visit, hospital stay). People who use AAC are part of a larger group of individuals whose communication challenges make these situations more complex. In today’s featured video, Dr. David Beukelman discusses ways in which effective communication between patients with communication challenges and their healthcare providers can be supported. This video was part of the USSAAC webinar series, which is made possible through the support of ISAAC. Many thanks to those organizations and the Patient Provider Communication organization whose free resources and information are shared in the presentation. Please consider joining and supporting these organizations so that they can continue to serve the AAC community with information, advocacy, and resources like these. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxd-hWODfm8
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: advocacy, healthcare, Medical
December 1, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Doctor appointments, feeding tube placement, ear check, blood pressure, suctioning, IV medication, oxygen through a nasal cannula, trach changes, blood work No matter what the age or type of disability, almost all AAC learners face the challenge of communicating effectively during encounters with healthcare professionals. People with AAC needs are among those who are considered to be communication vulnerable and do best when there are planned supports in place. The Patient-Provider Communication (PPC) website hosts projects and resources to improve interactions between people with communication challenges and their healthcare providers. It is also the online home to a group of professionals across the globe who share information and collaborate to improve communication at physician offices, clinics, emergency rooms, acute care and rehabilitation hospitals, intensive care units, home health services, and hospice facilities. It is funded by the Central Coast Children’s Foundation and directed by AAC pioneer Dr. Sarah Blackstone and... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: healthcare, patient provider communication, Sarah Blackstone
February 11, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
If there is anything scarier than having a very sick child in the ICU, it has to be when that child has no means of communication. In this Research Tuesday post, we join the efforts spearheaded by Rachel Wynn of Gray Matter Therapy to share an article that discusses the issues and presents some solution strategies. When we think of research studies in SLP, we think of experimental designs and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In AAC, group research designs are uncommon because of the immense heterogeneity of this clinical population. Even limiting the study to one single disorder and age group, say teenagers with dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy, contains too much heterogeneity for most group research. Instead, we see more single subject design experimental studies (SSEDs) in AAC. When well-designed, SSEDs have strong experimental control and allow researchers to answer causal questions, such as “did the treatment (e.g., teaching... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Boston Children's Hospital, communication vulnerable, healthcare, hospital, John Costello, Medical, Research Tuesday
December 6, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
In the US, you’d be hard pressed to find a graduate program in SLP that didn’t have required courses in fluency and voice disorders. Only a minority of SLP programs, though, require students to take a course in AAC. How does this compare to the needs in the field? Not so well, in our humble opinion. ASHA’s 2013 SLP Health Care Survey obtained responses from more than 800 SLPs who work with children in healthcare settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, and home health. On average, they spent more time on AAC services than on services for fluency, voice, or resonance disorders. When asked what percentage of their time was spent providing services in different categories, here’s what the participating SLPs reported: AAC: 5.5% Fluency: 3% Voice: 2% Resonance: 1.3% We acknowledge that requiring graduate students to take courses in specific disorder areas isn’t the only way to help them... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: healthcare
May 5, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
If you’re in a healthcare setting, you probably have noticed the increased attention to communication issues between healthcare providers and individuals who are ‘communication vulnerable.’ As all of us well know, people with AAC needs are certainly in that category. Many of us have worked with AAC clients who’ve had negative experiences communicating with healthcare providers in emergency situations, hospital visits, medical procedures, and just routine preventative care. Our featured video this week is on The Role of AAC in Effective Patient Provider Communication by John Costello, Director of the Augmentative Communication Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. The presentation is part of a larger series organized by Patient Provider Communication network and Sarah Blackstone.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: healthcare, hospital, John Costello, patient provider communication
October 12, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Being sick is no fun, but when you can’t communicate effectively with your healthcare provider, it can be disastrous. Here are some resources that SLPs can use to help promote effective communication and prevent adverse affects. Accommodations Cards: One of the simplest things we can do to help healthcare providers understand the needs of a person who uses AAC, is to give some basic information on an accommodations card. Health Bridges is a project of the Western Pennsylvania Initiative to support individuals who have hearing and vision loss. Their website includes a section that allows you to create quick accommodations cards for this population and serve as a good example for ones that you can make on your own. Accommodations cards don’t solve all the problems, but they’re a quick and easy way to make a start. Patient-Provider Communication Website: Amazing array of information and resources from around the world.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication, communication boards, doctor, healthcare, hospital, Medical, resources
July 29, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to ISAAC, 2012! — It’s the first day of the ISAAC pre-conference and the focus of the workshop I attended was on healthcare. It was quite an honor to learn from such a stellar group of AAC professionals, including Sarah Blackstone, John Costello, Kathryn Garrett, Richard Hurtig from the US and Cristina Cerantola, Elisabeth Cataix Negre, several others from around the world, who came together to talk about effective patient-provider communication. As we well know, the AAC community is one of several communication vulnerable populations that require special supports when accessing health care. This presentation was highly interactive and covered best practices, strategies, and technologies that we should be putting into place for people with AAC needs as they interact with medical personnel. – There was a wealth of resources shared during the workshop, mostly of very prAACtical resources. We have permission to share many of them here. Watch... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Conference, healthcare, ISAAC, ISAAC 2012, patient provider communication