ABSTRACT
Emerging trends in health care place speech-language pathologists and audiologists on the threshold of role expansion. To include prevention efforts within this new role, clinicians need to ask about the determinants of communication disorders that are preventable within the general population or within sub-populations. In this article, epidemiology is presented as a tool for the primary prevention of a broad range of factors associated with increased rates of communication disorders. "Old" epidemiologic theory, based on populations, blends with the "new" epidemiologic approach emphasizing the contribution of individual behaviors to adverse health outcomes, to provide the working clinician with a framework from which to determine the direction prevention efforts must take. The PRECEDE-PROCEED model of program planning and evaluation (Green and Kreuter, 1991) is utilized in public health and holds potential for use by clinicians in preventing communication disorders. Application of communication disorders to the PRECEDE-PROCEED model is offered as an example of prevention planning.
Subject(s)
Communication Disorders/prevention & control , Epidemiologic Methods , Mass Screening , Communication Disorders/etiology , Humans , Population Surveillance , Program Evaluation , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
This article introduces epidemiology as a health science that is essential as a complement to the basic laboratory and clinical sciences in speech-language pathology and audiology. A contemporary definition of epidemiology is presented. Principles of epidemiology, including causal criteria, and use and misuse of concepts such as incidence, prevalence, and risk are elaborated from the perspective of practitioners and researchers in human communication sciences and disorders. The ubiquity of epidemiologic data in the news media illustrates the complexities of data interpretation.
Subject(s)
Audiology/education , Epidemiology/education , Speech-Language Pathology/education , Communication Disorders/epidemiology , Communication Disorders/etiology , Curriculum , Humans , Research , RiskABSTRACT
This three-part article, a primer on hospital schools for hospital administrators, discusses laws, student constituencies, epidemiologic trends, and hospital school services; describes hospital school organizational models; and discusses policy implications.
Subject(s)
Child, Hospitalized/education , Hospital Restructuring/trends , Schools/organization & administration , Adolescent , Child , Costs and Cost Analysis , Humans , Policy Making , Teaching , United StatesABSTRACT
Three hundred forty-one North Carolina public school teachers were surveyed to determine frequency of teacher contacts with children with chronic health conditions and teachers' needs related to educational management of these children. More than 76% of respondents had taught children with chronic health conditions sometime during their career; 38% reported they had academic coursework related to chronic health conditions, and only 7% indicated their certification requirements were adequate. Parents were identified as the most important source of information about a child's health condition, while in-school resources were reported to be less available and often less helpful. Teachers identified several critical issues in educational management of children with teacher knowledge and preparation about health conditions as the most important concern. Findings indicate a need for more teacher preparation and improved resources for teachers.
