Perspectives Of Speech-Language Therapists On Hearing Loss And Collaboration with the Audiology Profession

The research investigates the crucial gap that exists in low-resource settings by assessing systemic and knowledge-based barriers that block multidisciplinary hearing loss care protocols in Pakistan where this public health problem remains commonly undervalued. This study was conducted to measure speech-language therapists (SLTs) competencies regarding hearing loss care as well as their collaboration difficulties with audiologists. The research design involved first using a structured questionnaire consisting of 20 survey items about demographics and hearing loss knowledge and collaboration perspectives (administered to 20 SLTs in Karachi) then conducting semi-structured interviews with three clinicians to enrich the understanding of quantitative data results. The research data analysis used descriptive statistics and thematic breakdown helping to identify technical knowledge gaps and ways that institutions refer patients and their respective collaborative frameworks. Results showed participants understood basic symptoms well, but their mastery of advanced domains remained limited because they knew only 45% of hearing aid technology content while 75% of them were confused about treatment referral procedures. The research through interviews uncovered that there was organizational fragmentation in SLT practice where partnerships depended on informal communication systems instead of formal regulations and educational programs for SLTs did not produce sufficient interdisciplinary competence. The public healthcare staff faced tremendous pressure because they lacked both proper medical tools and mentorship programs that were available to private sector medical professionals. The research should be extended to rural Pakistan, and audiologists should provide their perspective while implementing policy-driven collaboration models for enhanced service delivery in low-resource environments.