Critically ill patients often suffer from dyspnea and severe pain, making it impossible to swallow or speak. This results in dysphagia, xerostomia, loss of appetite, nausea, malnutrition with weight loss, increasing weakness, and communication difficulties. Speech therapists can improve quality of life through targeted therapy until the end of life. Learning this requires practical experience and knowledge of palliative treatment options in speech therapy. Even during speech therapist training,
Conditions
Interventions
open exploration of how speech therapy trainees experience encounters with serioulslyill patients in clinical internships. A minimum of 6 and a maximum of 20 semi-structured guided interviews of max.
Sponsors
Universität Freiburg Masterstudiengang Palliative Care
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: • Speech therapists in their first to third year of training • Speech therapists in their first or second degree • Speech therapists in dual study programs • Speech therapists who graduated no more than six months ago • Training in accordance with the Speech Therapist Profession Act (LogopG) and the Training and Examination Regulations (LogAPrO) • An internship of more than four weeks in an acute care or rehabilitation clinic at various locations (e.g., neurology, geriatrics, rehabilitation clinic) • Experience working with critically ill patients during the internship and in various challenging and positive situations • confident written and spoken German skills
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Trainees who were accompanied by the applicant as a supervisor in the clinic during their external internship
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Since this is a qualitative study, there are no primary or secondary endpoints as in a quantitative study. Nevertheless, the objectives of the qualitative study are to openly explore the following topics: • Challenging and positive experiences of speech therapy trainees during clinical internships with critically ill patients • Professional and emotional coping strategies • Experienced support from supervisors or explicit support needs • Experience or lack of knowledge and skills regarding palliative treatment options in speech therapy – structurally at the internship location and/or in the trainee's own actions • Possible conclusions from the internship experience for future professional careers | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The results of this study are intended to contribute to the adequate integration of palliative care into the education of speech therapists. Furthermore, they aim to provide guidance for supervisors of trainees at external clinical training centers. | — |
Countries
Germany
Contacts
Public ContactGerhild Becker
Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
Outcome results
None listed