Review of research on the effectiveness and applicability of teletherapy in speech therapy

Pandemija COVID-19 virusa dovela je to povećane potrebe za teleterapijom u logopediji. To se događa zbog obustave mnogih zdravstvenih djelatnosti te uvedenih mjera za sprječavanje širenja zaraze. Uz to, napredak tehnologije dovodi do povećane mogućnosti korištenja teleterapije. Teleterapija je po definiciji isporuka usluga logopedske terapije, radne terapije i terapije mentalnog zdravlja koja se odvija uz korištenje informacijskih i komunikacijskih tehnologija. Nakon pregleda mnoštva radova na temu teleterapije i njenog utjecaja na učinkovitost terapije, zadovoljstvo korisnika i ekonomičnost, može se zaključiti da je teleterapija jednake učinkovitosti kao i terapija uživo. Korisnici su u većini slučajeva jako zadovoljni teleterapijom. Posebno je takav slučaj kod mlađih korisnika, dok kod starijih korisnika i logopeda još uvijek postoji skeptičnost i strah od nepoznatog i promjena, ali se i stariji vrlo brzo prilagode. Kada je u pitanju ekonomičnost, teleterapija je po svim parametrima jeftinija te smanjuje problem udaljenosti logopeda i korisnika, ukoliko su korisnici iz ruralnih mjesta koja nemaju logopeda na raspolaganju.The COVID-19 virus pandemic has led to increased teletherapy needs in speech and language pathology. This is due to the suspension of many health activities and measures introduced to prevent the spread of infection. In addition, advances in technology have led to increased opportunities for the use of teletherapy. Teletherapy is by the definition the delivery of speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and mental health therapy services that take place with the use of information and communication technologies. After reviewing many papers on the topic of teletherapy and its impact on the effectiveness of therapy, customer satisfaction and economy, it can be concluded that teletherapy is as effective as live therapy. In most cases, users are very satisfied with teletherapy. This is especially the case with younger users, while older users and speech therapists still have skepticism and fear of the unknown and change, but older users also adapt very quickly. When it comes to economy, teletherapy is cheaper in all parameters, and reduces the problem of distance between speech therapists and users, if the user is from rural areas that do not have a speech therapist available