Advancing the Delivery of Communication Sciences and Disorders Services Through Research: The Promise of Health Services Research

Abstract

Purpose Traditional efficacy research, or research that studies interventions in controlled settings, can be difficult to translate to real-world clinical settings. In this article, we introduce the field of health services research (HSR) as 1 possible tool to aid this translation. HSR is a field of research that examines and intervenes in the use, cost, quality, delivery, organization, and outcomes of clinical interventions and services in the real-world setting. The complexity of the world outside the clinic walls is accounted for in HSR methods and data sources. As such, HSR often requires collaboration of stakeholders, including patients, caregivers, clinicians, and policy makers. These stakeholders are often engaged throughout the research process, from selecting research questions to disseminating results. HSR brings together researchers from multiple disciplines, including sociology, health economics, epidemiology, and implementation science, among others. The outcomes of HSR can inform policy changes both locally and nationally. To clarify the scope and impact of HSR, we present examples of HSR-based research on communication between patients with communication disorders and health care providers. Conclusions HSR is a critical tool for clinicians and researchers in the discipline of communication sciences and disorders who are committed to improving the lives and health of persons with communication disorders.

Understanding How Older Adults with Communication Difficulties Access Health Services: What We Can Learn from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS)

“…Some researchers have begun to adopt health services research methods to determine what can be learned from existing databases about the intersection between communication disorders and healthcare services. 53 For example, Hoffman et al 7 used data from more than 12,000 respondents to the 2001 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) to examine satisfaction with healthcare in older adults who reported communication difficulties. Specific information about diagnosed communication disorders was not available in the dataset, but was extrapolated from questions asking about difficulties hearing, writing, or using the telephone.…”

Implementation Science: Tackling the Research to Practice Gap in Communication Sciences and Disorders

“…In this particular study, a cluster randomized controlled design (see Morris, Oshita, & Stransky, 2019) was used to study the influence of a targeted implementation workshop, on two areas of aphasia practice in the acute care setting, providing aphasia-friendly information and collaborative goal setting. Prior work identified the reported barriers to the implementation of these practices according to practicing SLPs in this particular context (Shrubsole, Worrall, Power, & O'Connor, 2018b), and these barriers were targeted within the implementation workshop.…”

Bridging Knowledge Between Research and Practice

“…They provide information about the development of patientreported outcomes as an assessment approach for helping practitioners understand patient values and preferences related to their treatment decisions and outcomes. Morris, Oshita, and Stransky (2019) contributed the third tutorial, which describes the promise of health services research as an avenue for advancing the delivery of clinical services. The purpose of health services research is to investigate the use, cost, quality, delivery, organization, and outcomes of clinical services in real-world settings.…”