Knowledge and Practices of Brazilian Speech-Language-Hearing Pathologists in Voice and Communication Services for...

To investigate the knowledge and practices of Speech-Language Pathology professionals (SLP) in Brazil regarding voice and communication care for trans and transvestite individuals.

This is an observational, cross-sectional, and analytical study approved by the Research Ethics Committee under number 6.574.268. Data collection was conducted online through a questionnaire via Google Forms, including sociodemographic questions and questions about knowledge and practices in voice care for trans and transvestite individuals or those with gender diversity experiences. Professionals who refused to sign the Informed Consent Form and those who submitted incomplete questionnaires were excluded from the study.

128 SLP with active registrations in the Regional SLP Councils from all regions of Brazil participated in the study. The majority were women, white, and had postgraduate education. Most professionals believe their academic curricula inadequately address this topic, and only a minority have received specific training to serve this population. While many rated their knowledge as basic or intermediate, only a small percentage considered themselves highly specialized. Social media was the main source of information for 70.3%, while 43% turned to scientific articles. Regarding creating inclusive environments, almost 60% implemented team training strategies. However, 46.1% rated the cultural and gender sensitivity of professionals as poor, 79.7% acknowledged specific barriers to accessing services, and 72.7% were unaware of care protocols for this population.

Most speech-language pathologists recognize the barriers faced by the trans and gender-diverse population in accessing voice and communication services. However, there is still a significant gap in the knowledge and training of these professionals, with more than half having basic or intermediate levels of understanding of the needs of this population. The low frequency of treatments and the lack of specific training highlight the urgency of more inclusive and specialized training. Additionally, the predominant use of social media as an information source, rather than scientific literature, underscores the need for greater engagement with scientific literature to ensure evidence-based practice.