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Non‐attendance and utilization of a speech and language therapy service: a retrospective pilot study of school‐aged referrals
Author(s) -
Curran Amy,
Flynn Catherine,
AntonijevicElliott Stanislava,
Lyons Rena
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of language and communication disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.101
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1460-6984
pISSN - 1368-2822
DOI - 10.1111/1460-6984.12165
Subject(s) - attendance , intervention (counseling) , logistic regression , psychology , service (business) , relative risk , medicine , demography , gerontology , psychiatry , confidence interval , economy , sociology , economics , economic growth
Background Non‐attendance and inappropriate referrals affect the effective and efficient running of healthcare services. Non‐engagement with speech and language therapy (SLT) services may lead to negative long‐term consequences for children in need of SLT intervention. Currently there is a dearth of research on non‐attendance and non‐engagement with SLT services. Aims To identify factors associated with (1) non‐attendance and (2) parents’ non‐engagement with SLT services. Methods & Procedures Demographic data were collected from 140 case files of children (aged 5;0–17;11 years) discharged from a public community SLT service (November 2011–October 2013) with no intervention provided. Logistic regression analyses explored relationships between demographic data and (1) non‐attendance and (2) non‐engagement with the SLT service. Outcomes & Results There was an increased probability of non‐attendance during winter (i.e. September–February inclusive; OR = 3.14; p = 0.028) relative to summer, and with each month a child waited for SLT assessment (OR = 1.19; p = 0.066). There was decreased probability of non‐attendance with children referred for speech (OR = 0.08; p = 0.011) or language difficulties (OR = 0.15; p = 0.050) relative to dysfluency. The probability of non‐engagement with the SLT service increased in each of the following conditions: with each month a child waited for assessment (OR = 1.27; p = 0.004); in urban (OR = 2.40; p = 0.066) relative to rural locations; during winter (OR = 2.65; p = 0.021) relative to summer; and with referrals made by occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and social workers (OR = 18.65; p = 0.016) relative to doctor referrals. Conclusions & Implications Non‐attendance is influenced by wait times, season and the reason for referral. Location (urban versus rural), referral source, wait times and season are factors related to non‐engagement with SLT services. Targeted policies to improve efficiency and effectiveness of SLT services could be designed around these study findings.