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Toward the total rehabilitation of the alaryngeal patient
Author(s) -
Johnson Jonas T.,
Casper Janina,
Lesswing N. Jacob
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-197911000-00014
Subject(s) - rehabilitation , psychology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , audiology , medicine , physical therapy
Rehabilitative efforts directed toward the total laryngectomee are receiving increasing interest. Fifteen to 50% of laryngectomees fail to develop speech, and 50% do not return to full employment. Many make poor psychological adjustment. A study was designed wherein laryngectomees and their families were individually interviewed. These people suggested that their rehabilitation could have been facilitated had they been better informed preoperatively. Many expressed a desire for exposure to a speech pathologist and a successfully rehabilitated laryngectomee preoperatively. A total of 1,276 otolaryngologists were surveyed regarding the substance and amount of information they believed patients should receive prior to laryngectomy. Otolaryngologists, in the main, feel that they do fully and adequately inform their patients. Speech pathologists and rehabilitated laryngectomy patients are often called to see patients preoperatively. Nevertheless, we deduce that improvements need to be made to insure that the preoperative patient does in fact receive the information and counselling intended.