{"title":"How I experienced tele-intervention: Qualitative insights from persons who stutter.","authors":"Raadhiyah Hoosain, Shabnam Abdoola, Esedra Krüger, Bhavani Pillay","doi":"10.4102/sajcd.v72i1.1068","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong> Tele-intervention gained popularity, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, prompting healthcare providers to adapt to remote service delivery. Research about stuttering treatment via tele-intervention in South Africa is limited. Speech-language therapists (SLTs) require further insights to deliver a well-supported approach for treatment of stuttering using tele-intervention, despite limitations such as technological disruptions, including loadshedding, that impact service reliability.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong> The study aims to explore clients' experiences with tele-intervention for stuttering therapy, and to provide recommendations to improve service delivery.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong> Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 persons who stutter (PWS) recruited through purposive sampling. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants with experience in both tele-intervention and in-person treatment. Inductive thematic analysis supplemented by descriptive statistics was used to identify patterns and trends.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong> Four main themes emerged: (1) User experiences and factors shaping perceptions of tele-intervention; (2) technical infrastructure: barriers and facilitators; (3) financial and access considerations and (4) in-person treatment experience compared to tele-intervention user experience. Likert scale ratings indicated no considerable difference in preferences between tele-intervention and in-person treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong> Participants' diverse experiences highlighted tele-intervention's benefits and challenges for stuttering therapy. While limitations exist, findings inform service enhancement in South Africa, emphasising the importance of users' perspectives in tele-intervention design.Contribution: Insights from PWS can be used in informing clinical practice, aiding SLTs in meeting the needs of PWS and guiding best practice. Tele-intervention should be integrated into a hybrid intervention model that PWS prefer.</p>","PeriodicalId":44003,"journal":{"name":"SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS","volume":"72 1","pages":"e1-e9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"SOUTH AFRICAN JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4102/sajcd.v72i1.1068","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"AUDIOLOGY & SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Tele-intervention gained popularity, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, prompting healthcare providers to adapt to remote service delivery. Research about stuttering treatment via tele-intervention in South Africa is limited. Speech-language therapists (SLTs) require further insights to deliver a well-supported approach for treatment of stuttering using tele-intervention, despite limitations such as technological disruptions, including loadshedding, that impact service reliability.
Objectives: The study aims to explore clients' experiences with tele-intervention for stuttering therapy, and to provide recommendations to improve service delivery.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 persons who stutter (PWS) recruited through purposive sampling. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants with experience in both tele-intervention and in-person treatment. Inductive thematic analysis supplemented by descriptive statistics was used to identify patterns and trends.
Results: Four main themes emerged: (1) User experiences and factors shaping perceptions of tele-intervention; (2) technical infrastructure: barriers and facilitators; (3) financial and access considerations and (4) in-person treatment experience compared to tele-intervention user experience. Likert scale ratings indicated no considerable difference in preferences between tele-intervention and in-person treatment.
Conclusion: Participants' diverse experiences highlighted tele-intervention's benefits and challenges for stuttering therapy. While limitations exist, findings inform service enhancement in South Africa, emphasising the importance of users' perspectives in tele-intervention design.Contribution: Insights from PWS can be used in informing clinical practice, aiding SLTs in meeting the needs of PWS and guiding best practice. Tele-intervention should be integrated into a hybrid intervention model that PWS prefer.