The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionized the delivery of healthcare services, including speech-language pathology. The research article titled Outcome measures following tele-rehabilitation and conventional face to face rehabilitation in paediatric cochlear implant users during COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study in a tertiary care setup by Verma et al. (2021) offers critical insights into the effectiveness of tele-rehabilitation versus conventional face-to-face therapy for pediatric cochlear implant (CI) users. This blog will help practitioners improve their skills by implementing the outcomes of this research or encouraging further investigation.
Study Overview
The study aimed to compare the outcomes of tele-rehabilitation and conventional face-to-face therapy for pediatric CI users during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 27 unilateral pediatric CI users, aged 2-11 years, were divided into two groups based on the therapy modality: tele-therapy and face-to-face therapy. The participants were further divided based on their hearing age into three groups: 0-2 years, 2-4 years, and greater than 4 years. The assessment tools included the Integrated Scales of Development (ISD), Speech Intelligibility Rating (SIR) scale, and Revised Categorical Auditory Perception (CAP-R) scale.
Key Findings
- Conventional face-to-face therapy showed better outcomes compared to tele-rehabilitation, especially for children with a hearing age of 0-2 years.
- Both modalities were effective, but the rate of progress was significantly higher in the conventional therapy group across various domains of speech, language, and auditory skills.
- Tele-rehabilitation posed challenges such as connectivity issues, poor sound quality, and visibility problems, which were particularly impactful for younger children and their caregivers.
Implications for Practitioners
Based on these findings, practitioners should consider the following:
- Initial Enrollment in Conventional Therapy: For pediatric CI users with lesser hearing experience, initial enrollment in conventional therapy is crucial for better speech-language and auditory outcomes.
- Transition to Tele-Rehabilitation: Once parents and children become familiar and comfortable with the implant use, tele-rehabilitation can be a viable option.
- Parental Training: Providing comprehensive training to parents or caregivers can help mitigate some of the challenges associated with tele-rehabilitation.
Encouragement for Further Research
This study is a preliminary attempt to assess the outcome measures of tele-rehabilitation services. Future research should focus on:
- Expanding the sample size to generalize the findings to a broader population.
- Developing evidence-based tele-therapy rehabilitation programs tailored to the needs of pediatric CI users.
- Investigating the long-term outcomes of tele-rehabilitation compared to conventional therapy.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Outcome measures following tele-rehabilitation and conventional face to face rehabilitation in paediatric cochlear implant users during COVID-19 pandemic: A pilot study in a tertiary care setup.
