[Dysphagia] conundrum re:estim

[lobsterpam at aol.com (lobsterpam@aol.com)]

 <<However, as you educate the public, if you tell them a treatment that is not yet proven to work is being used by a facility, it does, in a subtle and indirect way, disparage those that chose to use it.>>
 
 I disagree. The provision of accurate information about an APPROACH does not need to be done in a way that is necessarily critical of the THERAPIST. To say, "This is an approach that some clinicians have begun to use; its effectiveness isn't known yet, and it's currently being researched. For that reason, we have chosen not to use that procedure at this time," that's pragmatically appropriate. But if one says (and this is meant to be extreme), "Oh my GOSH! I can't BELIEVE they're actually USING it over there! Don't they know it hasn't been proven to work? That's DISGRACEFUL!" that would certainly be inappropriate (not subtle by any means) cricitism of the SLP. But it would also not be correct to simply say "Well, we don't do that here" without providing the reasons why. IMO it's not ethical to keep information from families because some SLPs might not feel good about their chosen approaches. 
 
 Those that are using it should be writing up cases and submitting for peer review. If the approach is effective, it should stand up to peer review, so that there can exist an evidence base to support it. 
 
 Pam Smith
 Bloomsburg University
 
 
  
   
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