Action on waiting list for Speech Therapy in the Unified Health System (SUS) in a medium-sized Brazilian municipality

To characterize the profile and demands of individuals on the waiting list for speech-language pathology care in a medium-sized Brazilian municipality.

Descriptive study, carried out between July 2023 and July 2024, through telephone contact with individuals awaiting speech-language pathology care on the waiting list according to Center for Regulation and Evaluation and Control Division of a municipality in the interior of São Paulo. The list included individuals referred by the Primary Care network between February 2018 and December 2022. Information on sex, age, initial and current complaint, service area, and status in the queue (waiting or scheduled) were updated, collected by students under the guidance of professors of a Speech Therapy course in the aforementioned municipality. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Of the 393 individuals, 147 were excluded from the list (106 for no longer presenting demand and 41 for changing location). Among the remaining 246, ages ranged from 1 to 81 years, 71.9% were children up to 11 years old and 64.2% were male. In 26.8% of cases, there was a discrepancy between the current complaint and that on the referral form. The main demand was child language (83.9%). After organizing the information, 65.9% were scheduled for speech therapy.

Updating the waiting list made it possible to identify the profile of individuals and their speech therapy demands, contributing to better planning and provision of services, in addition to helping to reduce the waiting list.