Speak Out April 2021

Offering additional services to speech pathology

Ethics

There has been a noticeable increase recently in speech pathologists offering a range of services additional to speech pathology as part of their business. This may be in response to observed need, to support their business to stand out from the crowd or to differentiate them from the competition. There are a number of ethical factors which need to be considered when offering non speech pathology services within a speech pathology practice. Understand your ethical obligations It is important to consider the ethical obligation to provide existing and potential clients with clear and factual information about what services are being offered, so that they can make an informed decision when choosing a provider. Speech pathologists work with vulnerable populations. Clarity in the description and advertising of services is necessary to identify whether the service is appropriate for an individual’s need and what to expect from a speech pathology or other service. This also helps to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate use of speech pathology services. Honest and transparent communication about all the services a business offers includes having a clear delineation between those that are speech pathology services and those that are not. This requires careful consideration of how services are listed or described. For example it may involve having different sections in advertising to ensure potential clients can distinguish between speech pathology and other services. It is Speech Honest and transparent communication

Pathology Australia’s position that the information given to the public and to clients about the services provided as a speech pathologist should be clearly distinguished from the information about the services provided that sit outside speech pathology scope of practice. Reputational risk The reputation of the profession relies on the integrity and professionalism speech pathologists display in all interactions with clients. Clients look to speech pathologists for advice as trusted health professionals. However, if speech pathologists encourage clients to engage in interventions that have no evidence of benefit, a burden of opportunity cost may be imposed on clients, that is, lost time and resources that could have been spent participating in effective interventions. While this is concerning for anyone who is accessing a health service, it is especially important to individuals who have a time sensitive window of opportunity, be that situations such as early intervention, post brain injury, or after receiving a cochlear implant. Aligning other services It is vital to consider that if a speech pathologist is offering a service that is not within the speech pathology professional scope of practice, is not an evidence based service, or has less evidence to support it than speech pathology, the service may gain credibility from being associated with speech pathology. It is also Speech Pathology Australia’s position that it is not appropriate to align non-speech pathology interventions with professional speech pathology interventions, as

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Speak Out | April 2021