Service delivery in rural, remote and regional speech pathology. Part 1: Current approaches; Part 2: The influence of context and philosophy

Abstract

Part 1 : The aim of this study was to discover the common approaches to service delivery used by speech pathologists in rural, remote and regional Australia, which factors affect the choice of approach, and the theoretical frameworks underpinning the selection and implementation of the service delivery approaches. A questionnaire containing both quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to speech pathologists working in rural, remote and regional areas across Australia. There were 51 responses. This paper describes the profile of the clinicians who responded and the range of direct and indirect service delivery approaches currently being used. Part 2 explores the influence of context and philosophy on the selection of service delivery approaches.Part 2: This paper reports aspects of a larger study which investigated approaches to service delivery used by speech pathologists in rural, remote and regional Australia, factors affecting the choice of approach, and the frameworks underpinning the selection and implementation of the service delivery approaches. A questionnaire containing both quantitative and qualitative questions was distributed to speech pathologists working in rural, remote and regional areas across Australia. There were 51 responses. The results showed a diverse range of service delivery approaches primarily driven by contextual influences. The influence of a clinician’s underlying philosophical orientation was generally implicit rather than explicit. In many cases, service delivery approaches appeared to be driven by the workplace or health department guidelines, rather than the clinician’s own underlying theoretical framework