Cultural Considerations for Tele practice: An Introduction for Speech-Language Pathologists
Lesley Edwards-Gaither, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Howard University, Washington DC
Summary: This article will introduce and explore cultural considerations for SLPs treating diverse populations via tele practice. Tele practice is the application of telecommunications technology to the delivery of speech-language pathology and audiology professional services at a distance by linking clinicians to clients/patients or clinicians to other clinicians for assessment, intervention, and/or consultation (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2017d). Although there is ample evidence to support the validity of utilizing tele practice with clients in the field of speech-language pathology, it is important to note that due to a minimized in-person interaction with families, knowledge regarding cultural and/or any cultural barriers involved, may not become known to the practitioner until much later in the therapeutic process. It is important that therapists adhere to the same guidelines for providing culturally appropriate services as the face-to-face model to ensure that they provide the same quality services during tele therapy services.
Research on the use of telemedicine for diverse populations is currently in expansion. As seen in a study by Hiratsuka et al. (2013, as cited in Edwards-Gaither, 2018), the use of telemedicine to reach indigenous populations has the potential to reduce ethnic and racial health care disparities. The results of this study outlined the benefits and barriers of using technology to treat indigenous populations. Furthermore, the study demonstrated the use of technology to build patient–provider relationships. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has addressed the need for culturally competent services by establishing a program, the Cultural Competence in Telehealth Clinics program (Department of VA Employee Education System, 2017, as cited in Edwards-Gaither, 2018), designed to educate staff providing services via telehealth on how to best address cultural responsiveness in meeting each individual patient’s needs. The increase in tele practice to reach clients in need of high-quality services is an expanding area of clinical and research interest, in an effort to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse population combined with the use of technology in the United States. As evidenced by related fields and professions (e.g., telemedicine, tele-counseling), it has been established that one’s own cultural responsiveness can be influenced by professional guidelines while seeking knowledge, skills, and competencies regarding clients’ cultural backgrounds. As a result, SLPs can strive to serve all clients appropriately in the online setting. Per established guidelines, the professional code of ethics outlined for use in the in-person setting must be adhered to in the online setting. However, each clinician is responsible for his or her own cultural awareness in both in-person and online environments. Lastly, each clinician should also be responsible for acquiring knowledge of tele therapy legislation as provided by the state in which they practice in, and adhere to those legislative policies within their own tele therapy endeavors.
Population(s) used: Veterans and indigenous populations were referred to as the sample demographics in the studies discussed. However, in general terms, the author addresses all cultural, ethnic and/or linguistic populations throughout her article.
Strengths: This article addresses topics pertinent to the subject matter such as: definitions of cultural humility, ethical considerations, federal guidelines, education, tele-counseling, professional resources and awareness of linguistic bias.
Citation
Edwards-Gaither, L. (2018). Cultural Considerations for Tele practice: An Introduction for Speech-Language Pathologists. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 3(1), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1044/persp3.SIG18.13.