Needs and readiness to use tele-practice for identification and rehabilitation of children with hearing and speech-language disorders: perceptions of public sector care providers in South India

This study was an initial step toward planning tele-practice in a South Indian state's public-sector services for childhood hearing and speech-language problems. The aim was to understand the perceptions public-sector health care professionals (HCPs) regarding their willingness and need for tel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early child development and care 2024-01, Vol.194 (1), p.39-57
Main Authors: Jesudass, Neethi, Ramkumar, Vidya, Kumar, Shuba
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barriers
Childhood
Children with disabilities
focus group discussions
geographic information systems
Health care
Hearing
Language disorders
Medical personnel
needs
Perceptions
Public sector
readiness
Rehabilitation
Saturation
semi-structured interviews
Spatial analysis
Speech therapy
tele-practice
thematic analysis
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Summary:This study was an initial step toward planning tele-practice in a South Indian state's public-sector services for childhood hearing and speech-language problems. The aim was to understand the perceptions public-sector health care professionals (HCPs) regarding their willingness and need for tele-practice-based diagnostics and rehabilitation services. Focus group discussions (FGD), semi-structured interviews (SSI), and geo-spatial analysis were employed in a cross-sectional study. Different public-sector HCPs participated in the qualitative study. Data sufficiency was assessed using theoretical saturation and cross-case variance. Data was analyzed using hybrid deductive-inductive thematic analysis. Geo-tags and geo-locations of all children with disabilities and all the public-sector service providers were used to generate geospatial maps. HCPs felt that childhood hearing and speech-language disorder services were inadequate and lacked sufficient qualified professionals. There was inconsistent equipment and professional availability in district-level facilities. HCPs were comfortable using technology, and were willing to investigate tele-practice, but they required training in tele-practice.
ISSN:0300-4430
1476-8275
DOI:10.1080/03004430.2023.2276660