title: Australian speech pathologists' views of what professional practices lead to successful outcomes of therapy.
abstract: The relative importance attributed to factors perceived by speech pathologists as contributing to successful levels of therapeutic outcomes were addressed in a survey of 372 practicing therapists in Australia. The survey consisted of 42 items derived from interviews with a sample of ten speech pathologists in Sydney. Therapists were asked to rate the importance of each item on a seven-point scale ranging from "not at all important" to "critically important." The findings indicate that the most important ingredients of successful therapy incorporate a mix of support and therapeutic activity outside the clinic; the clinicians' organizational skills and involvement in conducting therapy and their use of techniques; the positive therapeutic relationship between clinician and client; and, finally, the client's attitude to therapy. These findings suggest that speech pathologists, like other allied health professionals, endorse a humanistic or holistic approach to health care. The results provide insights into the practices that should be addressed and fostered in undergraduate speech pathology programs.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioural and Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Adamson
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hand
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heard
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Nordholm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006694:Holistic Health; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011364:Professional Practice; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D013070:Speech Therapy; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires