Bridging the gap between theory and practice: a multimedia tutorial for students of voice therapy.

A computer-based tutorial for speech and language therapy students is described in which a digitized video-recording of a diagnostic interview with a voice-disordered client was dynamically linked to an on-screen transcript window. A student-centered tutorial package, which provided guidance through questions, assessment tasks, and commentary from an experienced speech and language pathologist as well as the lecturer in voice disorder, was constructed. Evaluation of the tutorial as an aid to active learning, including feedback from students and supervising clinicians, is reported and the role of this type of program as a preparation for clinical practice is discussed.

The use of simulated clients to develop the clinical skills of speech and language therapy students.

This paper reports the pilot of a new technique for the development of students' clinical skills. A bank of simulated clients was used in the teaching of generic clinical skills to two groups of speech and language therapy students. The method for the training of actors and running of sessions is described in detail by use of both group and individual formats. The intervention was used with three groups of students at different points in a 2-year Masters degree course. Questionnaires to students evaluate the technique and the timing of its use in the course. It is concluded that this new type of clinical teaching is a valid and much-needed supplement to traditional individual National Health Service (NHS) placements.

The outcome of different management patterns for vocal cord nodules.

In 1963, Brodnitz conducted a study which assessed the vocal recovery incidences for patients with voice problems, which included a group of patients with vocal cord nodules (singers' nodules). Nagata et al., (1983), compared the long-term outcome in vocal nodule patients treated by surgery alone, with those treated by minimal conservative measures, and those not treated at all. However, there is no reported study which compares the long-term outcome of patients with vocal cord nodules treated surgically with those treated with a combination of surgery and speech therapy, and those treated only with speech therapy.

Vocal cord nodules: a review.

Vocal cord nodules have a variety of synonyms in the literature, including laryngeal nodules, laryngeal nodes, corditis nodosa, singers' nodes, teachers' nodules, screamers' nodes, parsons' nodes, and nodular laryngitis. All of these refer essentially to the same condition. In 1954 referring to vocal cord nodules, Brodnitz and Froeschels wrote that, 'Ever since Tuerck first described the condition in 1868, discussion of the aetiology, the histological nature, and the therapy still has not ceased'. This statement still applies today.

Double-blind controlled trial of prostacyclin in cerebral infarction.

Thirty-two patients with acute cerebral infarction received either prostacyclin or placebo intermittently for 65 hours. Pulse and blood pressure were not altered by prostacyclin. After infusion there was no change in infarct volume or cerebral blood flow in either group. After normalisation for starting values, age and site of cerebral infarction there was a greater than 10% improvement in speech in the prostacyclin group, but minimal changes in neurological score or disability status. Age is related to neurological score at 14 days after stroke by decreasing improvement by 6.8% for each additional 10 years. This study has not been able to demonstrate that prostacyclin is effective in the treatment of ischaemic stroke, but due to the sample size the chance of proving this statistically (the power) was small. Similarly any conclusion that prostacyclin is not effective may be wrong because of the Type II error probability being high.