Impact of Patient Factors on Attendance at Remote Telehealth Swallow Therapy

This study evaluates potential factors influencing attendance at telehealth swallow therapy. Retrospective review of 308 patients referred for telehealth swallow therapy from April 2020 –November 2021 included patient referral diagnosis, diagnostic swallowing evaluations, and sociodemographic information including age, race, health insurance, interpreter use, and socioeconomic status. Univariable and multivariable analyses compared patient and appointment factors for those who at tended telehealth swallow therapy with those who did not attend. Overall, 71.8% of patients attended at least one telehealth swallow therapy appointment while 28.2% did not attend any. The most common referral diagnoses were “Cancer” (19.2%) and “Dysphagia Unspecified” (19.2%). Patients diag nosed with “Cancer” and “Muscle Tension” were significantly less likely to attend telehealth swallow therapy compared to those with “Dysphagia Unspecified,” “Globus,” and “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease/Laryngopharyngeal Reflux” after adjusting for covariates. Lower socioeconomi c status (p = 0.023), no interpreter use (p <  0.001), and more diagnostic evaluations (p = 0.001) correlated with higher telehealth swallow therapy attendance. Race and sex did not correlate with attendance. Most patients referred to telehealth swallow therapy attended at least one appointment. Patients with dysphagia associated with can cer and muscle tension, those with higher socioeconomic...

Source: Dysphagia - January 25, 2024 Category: Speech-Language Pathology Source Type: research