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Introduction: Telepractice models of care have the potential to reduce the time and financial burdens that consumers may experience accessing healthcare services. The current study aimed to conduct a time and financial cost analysis of paediatric feeding appointments accessed via telepractice (using videoconferencing) compared to an in-person model., Methods: Parents of 44 children with paediatric feeding disorders (PFDs) residing in a metropolitan area completed three questionnaires relating to (a) demographics, (b) time and cost for in-person care and (c) time and cost for telepractice. Both cost questionnaires collected data required for direct and indirect costs comparisons (e.g. out-of-pocket costs associated with the appointment (direct), time away from usual duties (indirect)). Average number of services accessed by each participant, and PFD appointments conducted annually by the service, were collected from service statistics. Analysis involved cost minimisation and cost modelling from a societal perspective., Results: The telepractice appointment resulted in significant time ( p  = 0.007) and cost (AUD$95.09 per appointment, SD = AUD$64.47, p  = < 0.0001) savings per family. The health service cost was equivalent for both models (AUD$58.25). Cost modelling identified cost savings of up to AUD$475.45 per family if 50% of appointments in a 10-session block were converted to telepractice. Potential cost savings of AUD$68,750.07 per annum to society could be realised if 50% of feeding appointments within the service were provided via telepractice., Discussion: The telepractice model offered both time and cost benefits. Future service re-design incorporating hybrid services (in-person and telepractice) will help optimise benefits and minimise burden for families accessing services for PFDs.

The COVID-19 pandemic drove rapid and widespread uptake of telepractice across all aspects of healthcare. The delivery of dysphagia care was no exception, with telepractice recognized as a service modality that could support social distancing/infection control, overcome service delivery challenges created by lockdowns/service closures, and address consumer concerns about attending in-person appointments. Now, almost two years since most services first rapidly deployed telepractice, it is time to reflect on the big picture, and consider how telepractice will continue as a service option that is sustained and integrated into mainstream dysphagia care. It is also timely to consider the research agenda needed to support this goal. To this end, in this paper we present 4 discussion topics, which raise key considerations for the current and future use of telepractice within adult and pediatric dysphagia services. These are (1) Dysphagia services must meet consumer and service needs; (2) Aspects of dysphagia services can be safely and reliably provided via telepractice; (3) Telepractice can be used in flexible ways to support the delivery of dysphagia services; and (4) Providing quality dysphagia services via telepractice requires planned implementation and evaluation. Then directions for future research are discussed. These considerations are presented to help shift perspectives away from viewing telepractice as simply a COVID-19 "interim-care solution". Rather, we encourage clinicians, services, and researchers to embrace a future of "integrated care", where traditional dysphagia services are combined with telepractice models, to enhance the quality of care provided to our clients., (© 2022. Crown.)

The provision of speech-language pathology (SLP) services via telepractice is expanding. However, little is known about the use of telepractice to deliver pediatric feeding services. The current study aimed to investigate SLPs perceptions, and current use of, telepractice in pediatric feeding. An electronic survey was distributed to SLPs with pediatric feeding experience within Australia. Questions pertained to general demographics, feeding experience, telepractice experience and perceptions of telepractice. Most questions were multiple choice, with some short response questions. Eighty-four complete responses were received. Overall, 41% of the cohort were interested in providing telepractice services but only 20% reported experience delivering pediatric feeding services via telepractice. Most telepractice users reported commencing telepractice services within the last 12 months. Most clinicians identified a range of age groups and feeding services that they believed could be offered via telepractice and a range of benefits to telepractice feeding services were identified. Benefits included natural environment, reduced distance and travel, opportunities to increase services and increased supervision and support. Although most respondents reported access to technology, most had difficulty accessing this on a daily basis to establish regular telepractice services. Clinician concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of conducting pediatric feeding assessments via telepractice were also identified. Overall, although the delivery of pediatric feeding services via telepractice remains limited, many clinicians were interested in using telepractice and had positive perceptions regarding its use. Continued efforts to enhance clinician access to technology and further evidence for the efficacy of this service delivery model for pediatric feeding will aid clinical implementation.

Aim: To characterise the feeding profile and care pathway for infants receiving prolonged high‐flow nasal cannula (HFNC) respiratory support for management of a chronic condition at one facility from January to December 2021. Methods: Data regarding medical history, HFNC admission details (reason for HFNC, HFNC duration, flow rate), feeding outcomes and speech pathology care were collected from electronic records of HFNC‐dependent infants (requiring HFNC ≥2–3 L/kg for ≥5 consecutive days). Infants with acute respiratory conditions (e.g. bronchiolitis) were excluded. Results: This study included 24 participants (median corrected age at admission 5.3 weeks, range −6 to 18.6). Of these, 15 (60%) had a condition/s that affected more than one body system (e.g. congenital diaphragmatic hernia), requiring the care of multiple specialities. Median length of HFNC use was 37.5 days (range 11–188). Twenty (83.3%) infants were referred for speech pathology (SLP) input while on HFNC support. For those referred, frequency of SLP input was variable (0–3 sessions/week), and HFNC support requirements were the most common barrier to SLP intervention (n = 9, 45%). Twelve (54.5%) infants demonstrated improvement in their primary feeding method by discharge; however, only two (9.1%) infants were discharged on full oral feeds. Conclusions: This study demonstrates variability in oral feeding management in infants with prolonged HFNC‐dependence at our centre. Respiratory support with HFNC was identified as a barrier to progressing oral feeding. Further research is required to determine if oral feeding can be safely undertaken in this cohort. This is imperative to ensure that long‐term feeding outcomes are not negatively impacted by current practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently limited evidence supporting the use of telepractice to conduct bottle-feeding assessments. This study aimed to investigate the inter-rater reliability of bottle-feeding assessments conducted via synchronous telepractice (real-time videoconferencing). Secondary aims were to investigate parent and clinician satisfaction. Bottle-feeding skills of 30 children (aged 1 month–2 years) were simultaneously assessed by a telepractice SP (T-SP) at a remote location and an in-person SP (IP-SP) at the family home. A purpose-designed assessment form was used to evaluate: (1) developmental level (screen only), (2) state, color, and respiration, (3) oral motor skills, (4), infant oral reflexes, (5) tongue tie (screen only), (6) non-nutritive suck, (7) bottle-feeding, (8) overall feeding skills and (9) recommendations. Results of the T-SP and IP-SP assessments were compared using agreement statistics. Parents reported perceptions of telepractice pre and post session, and also rated post-session satisfaction. The telepractice SP completed a satisfaction questionnaire post-appointment. The majority of assessment components (45/53, 85%) met the agreement criteria (≥80% exact agreement). Difficulties were noted for the assessment of palate integrity, gagging during non-nutritive suck assessment, and 6 components of the tongue tie screen. Parent and clinician satisfaction was high; SPs reported that they would offer telepractice services to 93% of families again in the future. Overall, the results demonstrated that most components of a bottle-feeding assessment could be reliably completed via synchronous telepractice in family homes. However, further research is required to improve the reliability of some intra-oral assessment components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delivery of safe, high quality and equitable speech pathology services to clients with limited English proficiency requires speech pathologists (SPs), interpreters and translators (ITs) to work together effectively. No studies have described the development and evaluation of interprofessional training delivered in an online format. This study outlined the development of targeted e-learning for SPs and ITs, and evaluated e-learning outcomes. Sixty-six SPs and 140 ITs participated in pre- and post-training online surveys. Knowledge, confidence and practice items were self-rated on 5-point Likert scales, while skills were assessed using scored short answer responses to a video vignette assessment task. Outcomes were compared statistically between time points, and identical items from SP and IT surveys were compared between professions. Relationships between participant demographics and training outcomes were also explored. After e-learning, both professions demonstrated statistically significant improvements in all measures of self-reported knowledge, confidence, past practice compared to intended future practice, and skills. Differences in the extent of improvement between professions are discussed. SPs and ITs with less experience in their current profession and less experience working with the other profession demonstrated greater improvement after e-learning. Interprofessional e-learning developed in consultation with SPs and ITs has the potential to be an effective, user-led and accessible mode of training delivery when establishing foundation-level interprofessional training platforms for SP and IT professions globally. More research is needed to validate these findings and explore the impact of improved workforce preparedness on the delivery of equitable, accessible and high-quality services to improve client outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: There is limited information regarding the nature of dysphagia and feeding difficulties following alkali ingestion injury to inform multidisciplinary intervention. The aim was to describe the history and nature of chronic dysphagia and feeding difficulties in two children following severe alkali ingestion injury. Methods: Medical records, primary caregiver report, and clinical assessment were used to compile detailed case histories and assess current dysphagia and feeding skills. Results: Both cases demonstrated heterogeneous oral motor and feeding outcomes, including delayed oral motor skills, restricted dietary variety, and difficult mealtime behaviors that contributed to protracted recovery of age-appropriate PO intake. Both children required ongoing diet and/or fluid modification and supplemental non-PO feeding via gastrostomy at the time of review, that is, 2-year post-injury. Conclusions: Recovery from dysphagia post-alkali ingestion is protracted and complex. Dysphagia, delayed oral motor skills, and difficult mealtime behaviors may persist secondary to ingestion injury and its associated complications. These cases highlight the importance of considering early referral for feeding assessment and intervention to assist children and families with recovery. Progression through safe and effective oral (per os, PO) intake is needed, as well as provision of support for primary caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]