View in EDS

Economic Evaluations of Speech and Language Therapy Interventions: A Scoping Review

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Economic Evaluations of Speech and Language Therapy Interventions: A Scoping Review
Language: English
Authors: James Hill, Amit Kulkarni, Deborah Moll, Lotte Meteyard, Louise Shelley, Grace Chugg, Gemma Jones, Valerio Benedetto, Catherine Harris, Alison Doherty, Joanna Harrison, Andrew Clegg
Source: International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. 2025 60(4).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 33
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Information Analyses
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Speech Language Pathology, Allied Health Personnel, Speech Therapy, Intervention, Economic Factors, Cost Effectiveness, Patients, Program Evaluation, Health Services
DOI: 10.1111/1460-6984.70091
ISSN: 1368-2822
1460-6984
Abstract: Background: With constrained funding and increasing demand, the pressures on health and care services globally continue to grow. Given the challenges faced, it is imperative that services and interventions demonstrate cost-effectiveness, as well as patient/service-user and societal benefits, to maximize impact. Research has started to explore the cost-effectiveness of speech and language therapy (SLT) interventions, but little is known about this body of evidence overall. Given the increasing demand for economic information by different decision-makers, an overall understanding of the current evidence base is needed. Such an evaluation should map and assess the current evidence to identify key gaps, areas of strength, and recommendations for future economic evaluations of SLT. Aim: To identify the extent and type of economic evaluations assessing the cost (including cost-effectiveness) of SLT interventions. Methods: A scoping review was conducted identifying studies across seven key databases from date of inception to 20 October 2023. Studies were included if they assessed any type of cost of an intervention which was primarily delivered (directly or indirectly) by a speech and language therapist. A narrative synthesis was undertaken and clustered around common populations of interest, including adults post-stroke, adults with aphasia or dysarthria, adults with Parkinson's disease, adults with head and neck cancer, and children, young people, and adults with a range of conditions. Outcomes and Results: This scoping review identified 52 studies which have been published over three and a half decades. Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of studies, specifically cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses; however, there were limited internal citations and a substantial variation in populations and interventions assessed by these studies. Economic evaluations were carried out alongside various effectiveness study designs, using different units of analysis, time horizons, and perspectives. Conclusion: Although a small number of studies have begun to explore the economic aspects of SLT, evidence in this area remains relatively scarce, highlighting the need to prioritize further economic evaluations. Given the substantial heterogeneity and limited interconnectivity within the existing evidence base, it is crucial to strategically organize and coordinate efforts to optimize future research. Future economic evaluations of SLT interventions should ideally run alongside randomized controlled trials and use decision-analytic modelling techniques to strengthen the economic evidence base.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1478165
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1478165
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Economic Evaluations of Speech and Language Therapy Interventions: A Scoping Review
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22James+Hill%22">James Hill</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amit+Kulkarni%22">Amit Kulkarni</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Deborah+Moll%22">Deborah Moll</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Lotte+Meteyard%22">Lotte Meteyard</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Louise+Shelley%22">Louise Shelley</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Grace+Chugg%22">Grace Chugg</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gemma+Jones%22">Gemma Jones</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Valerio+Benedetto%22">Valerio Benedetto</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Catherine+Harris%22">Catherine Harris</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alison+Doherty%22">Alison Doherty</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Joanna+Harrison%22">Joanna Harrison</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Andrew+Clegg%22">Andrew Clegg</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22International+Journal+of+Language+%26+Communication+Disorders%22"><i>International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders</i></searchLink>. 2025 60(4).
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 33
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Information Analyses<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+Language+Pathology%22">Speech Language Pathology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Allied+Health+Personnel%22">Allied Health Personnel</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Speech+Therapy%22">Speech Therapy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intervention%22">Intervention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Economic+Factors%22">Economic Factors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cost+Effectiveness%22">Cost Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Patients%22">Patients</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Evaluation%22">Program Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+Services%22">Health Services</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.1111/1460-6984.70091
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1368-2822<br />1460-6984
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Background: With constrained funding and increasing demand, the pressures on health and care services globally continue to grow. Given the challenges faced, it is imperative that services and interventions demonstrate cost-effectiveness, as well as patient/service-user and societal benefits, to maximize impact. Research has started to explore the cost-effectiveness of speech and language therapy (SLT) interventions, but little is known about this body of evidence overall. Given the increasing demand for economic information by different decision-makers, an overall understanding of the current evidence base is needed. Such an evaluation should map and assess the current evidence to identify key gaps, areas of strength, and recommendations for future economic evaluations of SLT. Aim: To identify the extent and type of economic evaluations assessing the cost (including cost-effectiveness) of SLT interventions. Methods: A scoping review was conducted identifying studies across seven key databases from date of inception to 20 October 2023. Studies were included if they assessed any type of cost of an intervention which was primarily delivered (directly or indirectly) by a speech and language therapist. A narrative synthesis was undertaken and clustered around common populations of interest, including adults post-stroke, adults with aphasia or dysarthria, adults with Parkinson's disease, adults with head and neck cancer, and children, young people, and adults with a range of conditions. Outcomes and Results: This scoping review identified 52 studies which have been published over three and a half decades. Recently, there has been a notable increase in the number of studies, specifically cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses; however, there were limited internal citations and a substantial variation in populations and interventions assessed by these studies. Economic evaluations were carried out alongside various effectiveness study designs, using different units of analysis, time horizons, and perspectives. Conclusion: Although a small number of studies have begun to explore the economic aspects of SLT, evidence in this area remains relatively scarce, highlighting the need to prioritize further economic evaluations. Given the substantial heterogeneity and limited interconnectivity within the existing evidence base, it is crucial to strategically organize and coordinate efforts to optimize future research. Future economic evaluations of SLT interventions should ideally run alongside randomized controlled trials and use decision-analytic modelling techniques to strengthen the economic evidence base.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2025
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1478165
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1478165
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/1460-6984.70091
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 33
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Speech Language Pathology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Allied Health Personnel
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Speech Therapy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Intervention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Economic Factors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cost Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Patients
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health Services
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Economic Evaluations of Speech and Language Therapy Interventions: A Scoping Review
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: James Hill
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Amit Kulkarni
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Deborah Moll
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Lotte Meteyard
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Louise Shelley
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Grace Chugg
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gemma Jones
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Valerio Benedetto
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Catherine Harris
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Alison Doherty
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Joanna Harrison
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Andrew Clegg
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 07
              Type: published
              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1368-2822
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1460-6984
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 60
            – Type: issue
              Value: 4
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
              Type: main
ResultId 1