• Amy Freeman-Sanderson, Elizabeth C Ward, Anna Miles, Irene de Pedro Netto, Sallyanne Duncan, Yoko Inamoto, Jackie McRae, Natasha Pillay, Stacey A Skoretz, Margaret Walshe, Martin B Brodsky, and COVID-19 SLP Global Group.
• Graduate School of Health, University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Critical Care Division, The George Institute for Global Health, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: amy.freeman-sanderson@uts.edu.au.
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2021 May 1; 102 (5): 835-842.

ObjectiveTo identify core practices for workforce management of communication and swallowing functions in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) positive patients within the intensive care unit (ICU).DesignA modified Delphi methodology was used, with 3 electronic voting rounds. AGREE II and an adapted COVID-19 survey framework from physiotherapy were used to develop survey statements. Sixty-six statements pertaining to workforce planning and management of communication and swallowing function in the ICU were included.SettingElectronic modified Delphi process.ParticipantsSpeech-language pathologists (SLPs) (N=35) from 6 continents representing 12 countries.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresThe main outcome was consensus agreement, defined a priori as ≥70% of participants with a mean Likert score ≥7.0 (11-point scale: 0=strongly disagree, 10=strongly agree). Prioritization rank order of statements in a fourth round was also conducted.ResultsSLPs with a median of 15 years of ICU experience, working primarily in clinical (54%), academic (29%), or managerial positions (17%), completed all voting rounds. After the third round, 64 statements (97%) met criteria. Rank ordering identified issues of high importance.ConclusionsA set of global consensus statements to facilitate planning and delivery of rehabilitative care for patients admitted to the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic were agreed by an international expert SLP group. Statements focused on considerations for workforce preparation, resourcing and training, and the management of communication and swallowing functions. These statements support and provide direction for all members of the rehabilitation team to use for patients admitted to the ICU during a global pandemic.Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.

31 keywords...

hide…