Global Speech-Language Health: Belize

Author(s):  
M. Elizabeth Jaramillo

This independent field experience in global health explores the application of health promotion and service delivery models from the field of public health to speech-language services through descriptive research of the case in southern Belize. This project explores first steps in global speech-language health outreach for children living in very limited resource settings. Global speech-language health outreach includes community-wide interventions, fostering collaboration in the community and internationally, health education, building on local resources to expand health services, and special education program development. This project makes the assumption that a rich language environment may be a determinant of speech-language health. Speech-language interventions that enrich the linguistic environment may be a strong starting point for regions with very limited access to speech-language services. Therefore, this project looks at targeting social and environmental factors that influence language and literacy skills. The aim is to raise awareness of pediatric speech-language disability in southern Belize, with the ultimate goal of increasing school and community participation of children with speech-language disabilities. The purpose of this project is to explore points of entry for population-wide, environment-enriching, and culturally relevant intervention targeting communication and academic growth, in a limited resource setting. Furthermore, this project describes barriers to speech-language services and interventions in southern Belize.

2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-70
Author(s):  
Jennifer Walz Garrett

Abstract School-based speech-language pathologists assess students to establish eligibility, collect baselines for treatment goals, determine progress during intervention and verify generalization of skills. Selecting appropriate assessment tools and methods can be challenging due to time constraints, agency regulations, and availability of tests. This article will describe legal considerations, types of assessments, and the factors involved with the selection and use of various assessment procedures and tools. In addition, speech-language pathologists will learn to calculate words correct per minute (WCPM) and perform miscue analysis, which can provide additional language and literacy information about a child's educational needs.


2021 ◽  
pp. 219256822098070
Author(s):  
Gyanendra Shah ◽  
Gaurav Raj Dhakal ◽  
Anil Gupta ◽  
Pawan Kumar Hamal ◽  
Siddhartha Dhungana ◽  
...  

Study Design: Retrospective study. Objectives: Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating event for patient and family. It has a huge impact on society because of intensive resources required to manage the patient in both acute and rehabilitation phases. With the limited resource setting in underdeveloped countries like Nepal, questions are often raised regarding whether the outcome justifies the expenses of their care. The objective was to assess the outcomes of cervical SCI patients admitted to intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: All cervical SCI admitted in ICU during May 2017 to August 2018 were included in this study. Demographic details, mode, morphology, and neurological level of injury, intervention performed and outcomes of ICU stay were analyzed. Results: Out of 48 patients, 36 (75%) were male and 12 female with mean age 43.9 ± 15.9 years. Fall injury was the commonest mode of injury (83.3%). Most patients presented within 1 to 3 days of injury and C5-C6 (33.3%) was the most common involved level and 75% presented with ASIA A neurology. Mechanical ventilation was required in 95.8% of the patients and 22 patients were operated upon. The average stay in ICU was 15 days and 13 patients died in the ICU. Conclusions: Majority of cervical SCI with complete motor paraplegia required ICU care. Inspite of the intensive care, a subset of these patients succumbed to the complications of the injury. Therefore, it is essential to establish trauma ICU care with specific protocols on managing cervical spine injuries.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s203-s204
Author(s):  
Rozina Roshanali

Background: My tertiary-care hospital is a 750-bed hospital with only 17 airborne infection isolation room (AIIR) and negative-pressure rooms to isolate patients who have been diagnosed or are suspected with prevalent diseases like tuberculosis, measles, and chickenpox. On the other hand, only 14 single-patient isolation rooms are available to isolate patients with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as CRE (carbapenum-resistant Enterobacter) or colistin-resistant MDROs. Due to the limited number of isolation rooms, the average number of hours to isolate infected patients was ~20 hours, which ultimately directly placed healthcare workers (HCWs) at risk of exposure to infected patients. Methods: Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement methodology was utilized to decrease the average number of hours to isolate infected patients and to reduce the exposure of HCWs to communicable diseases. A detailed analysis were performed to identify root causes and their effects at multiple levels. A multidisciplinary team implemented several strategies: coordination with information and technology team to place isolation alerts in the charting system; screening flyers and questions at emergency department triage; close coordination with admission and bed management office; daily morning and evening rounds by infection preventionists in the emergency department; daily morning meeting with microbiology and bed management office to intervene immediately to isolate patients in a timely way; infection preventionist on-call system (24 hours per day, 7 days per week) to provide recommendations for patient placement and cohorting of infected patients wherever possible. Results: In 1 year, a significant reduction was achieved in the number of hours to isolate infected patients, from 20 hours to 4 hours. As a result, HCW exposures to communicable diseases also decreased from 6.7 to 1.5; HCW exposures to TB decreased from 6.0 to 1.9; exposures measles decreased from 4.75 to 1.5; and exposures chickenpox decreased from 7.3 to 1.0. Significant reductions in cost incurred by the organization for the employees who were exposed to these diseases for postexposure prophylaxis also decreased, from ~Rs. 290,000 (~US$3,000) to ~Rs. 59,520 (~US$600). Conclusions: This multidisciplinary approach achieved infection prevention improvements and enhanced patient and HCW safety in a limited-resource setting.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


Author(s):  
Jia Li ◽  
Catherine Snow ◽  
Claire White

Modern teens have pervasively integrated new technologies into their lives, and technology has become an important component of teen popular culture. Educators have pointed out the promise of exploiting technology to enhance students’ language and literacy skills and general academic success. However, there is no consensus on the effect of technology on teens, and scant literature is available that incorporates the perspective of urban and linguistically diverse students on the feasibility of applying new technologies in teaching and learning literacy in intact classrooms. This paper reports urban adolescents’ perspectives on the use of technology within teen culture, for learning in general and for literacy instruction in particular. Focus group interviews were conducted among linguistically diverse urban students in grades 6, 7 and 8 in a lower income neighborhood in the Northeastern region of the United States. The major findings of the study were that 1) urban teens primarily and almost exclusively used social media and technology devices for peer socializing, 2) they were interested in using technology to improve their literacy skills, but did not appear to voluntarily or independently integrate technology into learning, and 3) 8th graders were considerably more sophisticated in their use of technology and their suggestions for application of technology to literacy learning than 6th and 7th graders. These findings lead to suggestions for developing effective literacy instruction using new technologies.


2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Q. Cabell ◽  
Laura M. Justice ◽  
Shayne B. Piasta ◽  
Stephanie M. Curenton ◽  
Alice Wiggins ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Yvette M Nel ◽  
Gregory Jonsson

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Evidence suggests that the presence of mental illness may be associated with poorer adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). There is also a general understanding that patients initiated on ART as inpatients have poorer outcomes than those initiated as outpatients. Negative perceptions regarding future adherence may affect the clinical decision to initiate ART in hospitalised psychiatric patients. Attendance at clinic appointments is an indicator of medication adherence, and is easily measurable in a limited-resource setting. </p><p><strong>Objectives.</strong> The primary objective of this study was to examine the rate of attendance at the first clinic appointment post discharge from a period of psychiatric hospitalisation in HIV-positive psychiatric patients initiated on ART as inpatients. A secondary objective was to determine which factors, if any, were associated with clinic attendance. </p><p><strong>Methods.</strong> This study was a retrospective record review, conducted at the Luthando Neuropsychiatric HIV Clinic in Soweto, which is an integrated mental healthcare and ART clinic. Patients who were initiated on ART as psychiatric inpatients from 1 July 2009 to 31 December 2010, and subsequently discharged for outpatient follow-up at Luthando Clinic were included in the sample.  </p><p><strong>Results.</strong> There were 98 patients included in the analysis. The sample was predominantly female. The rate of attendance was 80%. The attendant and non-attendant groups were similar in terms of demographic and clinical data.  Significantly fewer non-attendant patients had disclosed their HIV status to their treatment supporter (<em>p</em>=0.01). </p><p><strong>Conclusion.</strong> Non-disclosure of HIV status needs to be further addressed in integrated psychiatric HIV treatment facilities in order to improve attendance. Female predominance in this setting should also be further investigated.</p>


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