Identifying Barriers and Facilitators to Telepractice in Children Younger Than 12 Years for Speech and Language Therapists and Audiologists in Belgium: A Nominal Group Technique Study.

PURPOSE: The use of telepractice in speech therapy or audiology has long been limited to situations in which a person could not access a specialized clinician. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, however, many speech therapists and audiologists were forced to use it even though they were not accustomed to doing so. A guideline for the use of telepractice in speech therapy and audiology for children up to the age of 12 years in Belgium has recently been established (Van Eerdenbrugh et al., 2023). To develop the guideline, it was essential to gain an understanding of the barriers and facilitators that therapists encounter in order to ensure that telepractice will be incorporated into their daily practice besides standard clinical practice. The aim of the present study was to identify barriers and facilitators to the use of telepractice in children up to 12 years of age from the perspective of speech and language therapists (SLTs) and audiologists in Belgium.

METHOD: Two separate nominal group technique sessions were held to explore the barriers and facilitators to the use of telepractice with children up to 12 years of age in Belgium. The barriers and facilitators generated by five SLTs (Meeting 1) and six audiologists (Meeting 2) were coded according to the updated Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The results are in line with previous literature about barriers and facilitators to the use of telepractice in speech and language therapy and audiology in adults. They highlight the importance of establishing clear guidelines for the use of telepractice and developing tools and training to help therapists implement telepractice in their current practice.