Telehealth use in speech, language and hearing pathology in Brazil: systematic review/Telessaude em fonoaudiologia no Brasil: revisao sistematica.

The Speech, Language and Hearing Pathology, like other professions, absorbed the applications of telehealth. The other remote services are already provided by the Speech, Language and Hearing Pathology. Nevertheless, Telehealth in Speech, Language and Hearing Pathology in the country still needs further scientific development and a broader access to the population. This systematic review aimed to analyze the studies on Telehealth in Speech, Language and Hearing Pathology in Brazil in the last ten years considering the following categories: level of scientific evidence described by the American Speech and Hearing Association in 2005; area of speech therapy involved; branch of telehealth and institution of origin. As for the categories, this review identified 26 eligible publications, especially clinical studies (level 4, according to ASHA criteria); the areas covered were distributed in audiology (50%), educational speech associated with audiology (15%), language (12%), educational speech associated with language (8%) and the remaining distributed with less than 5% each. With regard to the field of telemedicine, the practice of teleducation exceeded the teleservice. The included studies are from higher education institutions of the State of Sao Paulo, and 92.3% coming from the heartland of the state. A systematic review concluded that the Telehealth in Speech, Language and Hearing Pathology is expanding in Brazil, which should expand the supply of therapy services and scientific growth in the area. KEYWORDS: Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences; Telemedicine; Review A Fonoaudiologia, a exemplo de outras profissoes, absorveu as aplicacoes da Telessaude e os servicos prestados a distancia ja fazem parte do cenario fonoaudiologico. Apesar disso, a Telessaude em Fonoaudiologia no pais ainda necessita de maior aprofundamento cientifico e de amplo acesso a populacao. Esta revisao sistematica objetivou analisar os estudos relativos a Telessaude em Fonoaudiologia no Brasil nos ultimos dez anos, categorizando-os segundo os niveis de evidencia cientifica apontados pela American Speech and Hearing Association--ASHA (2005), as areas da Fonoaudiologia contempladas, o ramo da Telessaude envolvido e a instituicao de origem dos estudos. Foram identificadas 26 publicacoes elegiveis com predominancia de estudos clinicos (nivel 4) pela analise da ASHA (2005). A area de Audiologia esteve presente em 50% dos estudos avaliados, a area da fonoaudiologia educacional associada com a audiologia em 15%, a area da linguagem em 12%, a area da fonoaudiologia educacional associada com a linguagem em 8% e as demais areas distribuidas com menos de 5% cada uma. A pratica de Teleducacao superou a de Teleassistencia entre os ramos da Telessaude. Os estudos incluidos sao provenientes de Instituicoes de Ensino Superior do Estado de Sao Paulo, sendo que 92,3% foram realizados no interior. A revisao sistematica permitiu concluir que a Telessaude em Fonoaudiologia esta em plena expansao no Brasil, o que devera expandir a oferta de servicos fonoaudiologicos e o crescimento cientifico na area. DESCRITORES: Fonoaudiologia; Telemedicina; Revisao