Exploring the relationship between client perspectives, clinical expertise and research evidence

Area of Science:

• Speech-language pathology
• Evidence-based practice

Background:

• Current evidence-based practice (EBP) models in speech-language pathology (SLP) integrate clinical expertise, patient perspectives, and research evidence.
• Understanding the interplay between these components is essential for optimizing therapeutic outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between clinical expertise, patient perspective, and research evidence in SLP.
• To analyze the alignment between outcomes valued by patients and those reported in research and practice.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of findings from the Better Communication Research Program and Child Talk research programs.
• Systematic reviews of the SLP research literature.
• Exploratory studies on parent and child views and current SLP practices in England.

Main Results:

• Parents and children highly value functional outcomes and positive experiences, which are not consistently measured.
• While most parents view therapy positively, some lack clarity on its rationale.
• Existing interventions are largely evidence-supported, but gaps exist in critical therapy components.

Conclusions:

• Four key challenges hinder EBP: intervention description clarity, consensus in practice models, understanding change mechanisms, and integrating client preferences into EBP frameworks.