The Influence of Social Media on Speech-Language Pathology Practices

Abstract

With social media’s presence growing beyond personal use, speech-language pathology as a professional field is affected by social media as well. This study examined how social media is influencing clinical practice trends and evidence-based decision-making in speech-language pathology (SLP). A mixed-methods study including a survey (98 participants) to assess social media’s impact on SLP practices in the tri-state area (Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota), as well as a focus group (five participants) was used. Participants primarily used social media to build a community of practice, which included connecting with others, accessing materials and resources, and building educational knowledge. These were identified as integral to their sense of community and a primary benefit for using social media in the field. Influences on clinical practice trends included a variety of topics (e.g., ASHA Big Nine areas of practice, community issues, diagnostic decision making, and professional issues). Additionally, client/caregiver access to social media had positive influences resulting in consumers being well informed. Related negative factors influencing social media use were polarizing views and influence of social media algorithms creating potential source of bias. An identified challenge was that clients/caregivers occasionally have misconceptions about the diagnostic process. When utilizing social media resources, clinical decision-making was found to be predominantly guided by clinical expertise, experience and subjective judgement, rather than explicit vetting of quality using external evidence. Most SLPs (70% of the survey) verified claims from social media never-to-sometimes while only 30% verified claims often or always. Verifying with external evidence was identified as an additional challenge, with time constraints, paywalls, and uncertainty of quality of posts being primary barriers