Sri Lankan speech therapists during COVID-19

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the speech and language therapy services in Sri Lanka. With the rapid spread of the virus, the responsibilities of the speech and language therapists’ (SLTs) included to reduce the risk of the virus transmission while continuing the services. The aim of the study was to describe knowledge on the safety practices and service delivery during COVID-19 among SLTs in Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional descriptive study was followed inviting SLTs who are registered in the Government Speech & Language Pathologists’ Union, Sri Lankan Association of Speech & Language Pathologists, and recent graduates from the Speech and Hearing Sciences programme specializing in speech therapy. An online questionnaire was distributed among participants. All the data were analysed with descriptive statistics using Microsoft Excel 2013.