Overview of Research in Speech-Language Pathology: Trends in Colombia

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze the disciplinary research landscape from the national academic production, to identify populations, areas, research approaches, in this way identify needs and challenges for formative research of speech therapy in Colombia. Information from undergraduate and graduate research projects of 13 training programs in Speech Therapy in the country, between 2010 and 2019, reported by higher education institutions, was analyzed. Information was collected from reports and research papers (N=638). First, there was an increase in research production between 2010 (4.9%) and 2019 (18.3%). 85% of the research was identified in undergraduate and 15% in postgraduate. The predominant approach was qualitative (55.3%), which, together with the descriptive scope (77.8%) that represent the majority of research products. The scenario related to the field of clinical health care leads the research (52.9%). The predominant areas in this research scenario are Language (29.1%) and Hearing (27.4%) in adult (56.7%) and child (28.52%) populations. It is concluded that the research production from the academy, specifically from the training programs of speech therapists in Colombia, evidences the need to promote experimental and analytical research, with populations of neonates and infants, in areas related to oral function and in unprecedented scenarios. Besides, it is necessary to include the use of technologies and new intervention approaches to contribute to the evidence-based approach. Future research should allow comparison of research before and after the pandemic, given the virtualization and the inclusion of speech therapy in settings such as critical care and palliative care units.