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Screenless Teletherapy and Silent Telesupervision: Leveraging Technology for Innovative Service Delivery and Clinician Training in Speech-language Pathology during the COVID-19 Era
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic has upended traditional models of education and health care. Despite having a well-established evidence base, videoconferencing and related technology (i.e., “teletechnology”) were rarely utilized by most speech-language pathologists (SLPs) prior to March 2020. As operations were forced to move online, there was a rapid, unprecedented, and near-universal adoption of teletechnology for service delivery and clinical education. However, there was little time for program modification and training. Nine months later, we have settled into the transition and are able to reflect on the evidence base and potential benefits of operating through a new modality.
This report begins by outlining commonalities in theoretical models of clinical supervision and early intervention service delivery. We discuss how teletechnology fits into—and potentially enhances—the framework. Next, we summarize the historical use of technology in SLP clinical training and service delivery, specifically, how it can be leveraged to support access, processes, and outcomes. Although SLPs are trained to serve the full range of clinical populations, we focus on their role in early intervention (i.e., services for children from birth to age five). Then, we expand upon the current research evidence with a practical discussion of quickly-developing anecdotal support for innovative practices, including “screenless coaching” and “silent supervision.” Although there are significant benefits to teletechnology, we conclude by recognizing potential limitations and discussing needs for future research. This report is written from the perspective of two experienced SLPs; however, the discussion is relevant to other therapeutic fields
Connecting Classes in Medellín: The Gondola and the Escalator
No full textThe city of Medellin, Colombia is infamously known for the reign of Pablo Escobar. While he is globally known as a drug lord, in the Medellin neighborhoods of Santo Domingo and Comuna Trece, he was revered for the ways he benefited their often under-served communities. After his death, the neighborhoods very quickly fell into shambles, taken over by differing gangs with little interference from the city government. In 1995, with the ideas of new mayor Sergio Fajardo, the city began to establish programs focused on the redevelopment of the mountainous outskirts of Medellin. With that came the development of the escalators and the gondolas in these two neighborhoods. This paper analyzes the ways in which these new systems of transportation have benefited the communities where they are located, and how they have established a sense of pride in the citizens
Feminist Engagement in Contentious Politics in Iran
No full textIran has had several feminist movements in recent decades that ended in brutal repression and government crackdowns. Yet today, women\u27s rights groups continue to mobilize, even in a worsening climate of religious polarization and state intolerance. Why? My paper weighs two scholarly explanations: first, the increasing tenacity and will of activism; and second, the declining ability of the Iranian state to repress. Whereas the optimistic approach stresses the robustness and durability of societal dissidence, the statist approach places primacy on political and security institutions. Utilizing a simple theory of rational decision-making, I combine the two in a novel way. I argue that Iranian feminists continue to engage in contentious politics in order to innovate new types of resistance, as an alternative to traditional organized movements -- that is, as a way to *avoid* opposition crackdown. Using the One Million Signature Campaign and White Wednesday women\u27s "non- movements" as dual cases studies, I show how Iranian feminist activism has shifted from a traditional mass movement to a contentious, non-movement that combines social dissent with organizational creativity. Social media and cyberspace have played a critical role in this elusive cat-and-mouse game of outpacing regime repression.
Keywords:Contentious politics, White Wednesdays, State oppression, Social media, Rational choice theor
Letter from the Dean
No full textIn the past few months, our world has changed. The current public health crisis has crystalized the importance of the disciplines encompassed in our college. The public health sciences are at the forefront of managing the epidemic, and our social workers and clinical fields—nursing and rehabilitation disciplines—are critical to helping the public manage the extreme dislocation this epidemic has brought to many, many people’s lives. Sadly, the response of our country has been lacking, and our healthcare system has been sorely ill-prepared to respond swiftly. All this is to say that health-focused research is critical to improving the health and well-being of Americans and key to improving the U.S. healthcare system and, importantly, the public health infrastructure.
It is only fitting, then, that it is under these circumstances—and just before National Public Health Week—that we launch CommonHealth, the journal of Temple University’s College of Public Health. The COVID-19 pandemic is a testament to the importance, and power, of accurate information shared responsibly. It is our job to not only generate new knowledge, but also to share that knowledge with the public and those practicing on the front lines. In doing so, we inform new practices and improve upon old ones, continually moving toward a world with better health and well-being for all.
In CommonHealth, you will find research that approaches the health issues of our day from multiple angles and across many health disciplines. We in the College of Public Health know that health is about more than just a disease or a disability; positive health involves your environment, your state of mind, and your behaviors. Our college embraces this diversity of perspectives, and that will be evident in each issue of this journal. Complex healthcare problems, from pandemics to personal health, to issues of social justice, are intertwined, and they call for equally complex solutions. We are united across our departments—Communication Sciences and Disorders, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Health Services Administration and Policy, Kinesiology, Nursing, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the School of Social Work—to improve quality of life for everyone, no matter their zip code or economic status.
For many of our students, this will be an introduction to academic publication. The journal will be managed by a team of talented graduate students who will gain invaluable experience, from soliciting and editing articles to publication and promotion. In my time at the College of Public Health, I have seen firsthand the impressive work of our student and faculty researchers, and we in the college are so excited to share that work with a wider audience.
In these times, our mission to train the next generation of health professionals and create new knowledge toward building healthier communities is more important than ever. As we have seen over the past month—and as we will see even more in the coming ones—what we do with that information is just as important as the findings themselves. CommonHealth will be an important tool in the dissemination of new knowledge and cutting-edge research
Factors Associated with Multiple Hospital Readmissions for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury
No full textObjective: To identify patient-level and clinical factors associated with multiple hospital readmissions in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Design: Retrospective cohort analysis of the publicly available dataset from the SCI Rehabilitation (SCIRehab) study.
Setting: Six rehabilitation centers in the U.S. that participated in the SCIRehab study.
Participants: Individuals with traumatic SCI (N=1371) who were consecutively enrolled in the SCIRehab study.
Outcome measures: The primary outcome was all-cause hospital readmission within 1 year of discharge from a rehabilitation center. The patient-level and clinical factors include employment status, depression, caregiver support, state-funded insurance, functional status, and rehabilitation services.
Results: Of the 1170 participants included in the study, 228 were readmitted once and 120 were readmitted multiple times. In our study, 34.2% and 10.8% were readmitted more than once due to genitourinary and respiratory conditions, respectively. Lower utilization of rehabilitation services, lower functional status, unemployment, and depression were associated with higher odds of being readmitted multiple times within one year of discharge from inpatient rehabilitation facility.
Conclusion: Psychosocial and clinical factors were associated with increased risk for multiple readmissions in individuals with SCI. In order to reduce recurrent readmissions in individuals with SCI, further research is necessary to maximize efficacy of risk factor modification and prevention strategies
Boko Haram in Nigeria: Territorial Terrorism
No full textThe African country of Nigeria was one that was showing great promise heading into the 2010s. However, the rise of an Islamic fundamentalist group named Boko Haram sought to hamper any future progress. The pertinent issue of combatting terrorist organizations like Boko Haram is not one unique to Nigeria. Due to the destruction Islamic fundamentalist groups have left behind in the Middle East and North Africa, many have been left wondering why and under what circumstances these groups have arisen. This paper will investigate the rise and fall of Boko Haram in Nigeria while searching for answers as to why the group rose in prominence in the first place. While many arguments claim that terrorist organizations are birthed out of poverty and authoritarian rule, this paper makes the case this catch-all belief does not apply in Nigeria. Instead, Boko Haram came to fruition in Nigeria due to conditions related to social and economic issues. However, this rise was ultimately facilitated due to the influence of fellow Islamist groups in the regio
The United States and China’s Trade War: A Search for Global Dominance
No full textDue to its negative impact on global markets, the ongoing Trade War between the United States and China has caught the eyes of the world. While there is considerable media coverage about what exactly is going on, not much is discussed regarding what is driving the dispute. This paper characterizes it as an issue of power, arguing that it shows that the United States is willing to do everything in its power to preserve its position in the international system. To reach this conclusion, an analysis was made of how these two countries have interacted since Donald Trump took office and how the relationship worsened over time due to the United States’ aggressive actions in the region. The aggressive character and sense of urgency of the Trump administration to act reveals that the main motive driving the Trade War is not what is claimed by the American government, which is reaching a fairer economic relationship, but halting Chinese growth out of fear they will shortly surpass the United States. Chinese recent actions show that they are not the one driving the conflict; they merely retaliate American tariffs with proportional economic measures. Their aggressive approach to retaliation and actions in the South China Sea, however, demonstrate that China is willing to do anything to reach a position of political and economic dominance. It also reveals a country uncertain about its own identity, driven by its willingness to acquire as much power as possible