Awareness and knowledge level of audiology and speech language pathology/therapy among university students in Nigeria

Abstract

Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology are two unique but intertwined professions that play vital roles in the treatment of individuals with hearing and speech disorders. Public awareness and knowledge level of these professions and associated professionals lead to increased accessibility to speech and hearing healthcare service delivery which is crucial for mitigating the prevalence of speech and hearing disorders. This study investigated the awareness and knowledge level of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology among students of the University Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive study was employed and 300 students were used as the sample size for the study. A Self-designed Questionnaire instrument with 15 open and close end items on Awareness and Knowledge Level of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology among Students of the University of Medical Sciences was administered to participants for a period of 3 weeks. 118 (39%) of male, and 182(61%) of females in a M:F ratio of 1:1.5 participants took part in the study. The mean age of participants was 15.533 and SD was ±9.156. The result from the study showed that despite participants’ awareness of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology and associated professionals, 211 (70.3%) of participants indicated poor to very poor knowledge level of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology. 246(82.0%) of participants have neither seen nor followed their relatives to visit an Audiologist or Speech Language Therapist and this was also impacted by the inadequacy of these professionals and their associated services across the country. The findings further revealed that if participants who are potential healthcare workers do not know what Speech Pathology and Audiology entails and the exact roles of professionals in these fields, then it could be worse for the general public with little or no connection with health care service delivery. Thus, it was recommended that to scale up efforts in mitigating the prevalence of communication disorders across the country, Audiological and Speech units should be established in all the hospitals across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country in addition to mass speech and hearing health education and promotion programmes for the general public.