Attitudes of family practice residents about speech-language-hearing referrals.
The "family doctor" has been identified as the professional most likely to be contacted by the general public with concerns about communication disorders; yet the family practice physician is unlikely to refer patients with communicative disorders to speech-language pathologists or audiologists for nonmedical evaluation and treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine attitudes of family practice residents about referral patterns for communication disorders using a survey format. Thirty-nine residents estimated that they had referred an average of 1.5 patients to a speech-language pathologist and 2.2 patients to an audiologist during a six-month interval. The findings indicated that these residents did not routinely refer patients to speech-language pathologists. When they did refer, a limited view of communication problems was used.
Scherz
J W
JW
Audiology and Speech Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne 46805.
Kallail
K J
KJ
Edwards
H T
HT
D001294:Attitude to Health; D005194:Family Practice; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy