A systematic review of the health literacy of adults with lifelong communication disability: Looking beyond accessing and understanding information.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the a) extent to which people with lifelong communication disability are included in health literacy research, b) level of health literacy of people with lifelong communication disability, c) methods applied to measure the health literacy of people with lifelong communication disability, d) barriers and facilitators mediating the health literacy of people with lifelong communication disability, and e) outcomes of health literacy interventions for people with lifelong communication disability. METHODS: We searched for studies relating to health literacy, people with lifelong communication disability, and key areas of the Sørensen et al. (2012) health literacy model (i.e., accessing, understanding, appraising, applying health information, personal/environmental/systemic barriers and facilitators). RESULTS: Analysis of 60 studies demonstrated that this population is not well represented. Insufficient research exists to inform statements on level of health literacy or methods used to measure health literacy of this population. Barriers and facilitators appear consistent with those applicable to the general population. Health literacy intervention outcomes were variable. CONCLUSION: Significant gaps exist in the research which has primarily focused on people with intellectual disability accessing and understanding health information. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Findings can inform policies, practice, and future research on health literacy and people with lifelong communication disability.

Developing and sustaining a social media ecosystem in speech-language pathology: Using innovative qualitative methods to visualise and cultivate a social media garden.

Purpose: Qualitative research methods, grounded in an inductive analytic paradigm, increasingly inform clinical practice in the field of speech-language pathology. Social media research, often including qualitative methods, provides a valuable way to connect and listen to the voices of people with communication disabilities. With growing empirical evidence on the ways that people with communication disabilities use social media, and recognition of both benefits and limitations of its use, it is important to consider what will support clinicians to translate this work conceptually and safely into clinical practice.Method: In this paper, we use the tools of metaphor and arts-based knowledge translation to promote the translation of evidence into social media practice.Results: With social media being an important ecosystem to grow and nurture in speech-language pathology, a "picturing a social media garden" metaphor is proposed to further research translation. The metaphor will be used to frame strategies for applying qualitative techniques for speech-language pathologists to consider how to use social media in clinical and professional practice, as well as citing supporting literature to guide further reading.Conclusion: The suggested approaches could augment existing methods of assessment and intervention for people with communication disabilities and provide support for clinicians who want to develop their own strategy for using social media, build a vibrant social media ecosystem, and integrate social media interventions into their clinical services.