Table 4 Barriers to assessment in adults with non-progressive dysarthria
Barriers to effective assessment | Examples of responses | n | % |
|---|---|---|---|
Lack of available standardized Arabic assessment tools | • Absence of tools adapted to the Lebanese population. • We don’t have a reliable and valid assessment tool in the Arabic language to assess all areas needed (phonation, prosody, respiration...) | 34 | 68 |
Comorbidities | • The variability in the characteristics of dysarthria along with comorbidities in patients makes it hard to assess effectively. • The presence of comorbidities and especially in cases of dysphagia. • Mostly, the receptive level of the patient influences the assessment process. | 11 | 22 |
Financial problems | • Financial barriers to providing specialized instrumental assessment tools. • I am unable to purchase standardized English assessments for my bilingual patients due to the current dollar rate crisis. | 10 | 20 |
Professional limitations | • Perceptual judgments are subjective as the accuracy of the assessment finding depends on the clinician’s expertise in active listening and analyzing the characteristics of speech. • I receive a limited number of patients with dysarthria per year, so, I believe I need more practice. | 5 | 10 |
Client motivation and compliance | • The low motivation of the patient as the assessment tasks might seem boring. | 5 | 10 |