PROMOTING BETTER PATIENT CARE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PROMOTING BETTER PATIENT CARE - Essay Example Speech-language pathologists are certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and hold the masters degree or the degree certified to be suitable for the role. (McKay, 2012a, p.1) The speech therapists role is to guide and simulate the process of recovery by means of speech and language exercises. Autism, cleft palate, brain or damage disorders, voice disorder, stammering are some of the causes for the speech difficulties. There are normal swallowing and speech changes after the head and neck cancer treatment and they need assistance of the speech pathologist. (â€Å"Encyclopedia of Health†, 2010, p. 977) A social worker help patients and families cope up with the problem resulting from long term illness, injury and rehabilitation. ‘Medical and public health social worker provide psychosocial support to those affected by chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses. They work with patients, families, and caregivers.’(Mc Kay, 2012b, p. 1)The Council on Social Work Education accredits the baccalaureate and master’s degree programs in social work in the United States. (Zastrow, p. xx) Communication is an important tool for the speech therapists as it enables them to interact with the patient and develop the confidence in them. The treatment varies according to its severity and is based upon the patient’s case history and also relies on the patient’s verbal report of symptoms. There is a major concern in the availability of speech therapists and if the facility did not have this specialty, then the use of interdisciplinary team concept is appropriate. It is a group of health care professionals from diverse fields who work in a coordinated fashion toward a common goal for the patient.(â€Å"Interdisciplinary teams†, Medical Dictionary) The team includes mostly the individual with severe communication disabilities, a family member or guardian, a speech-language pathologist,