Online pre-appraised evidence resources for speech-language pathology: a scoping review

BACKGROUND Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need timely access to trustworthy, evidence-based information to inform their clinical decision making. Digital tools and resources providing pre-appraised, summarised evidence are widely available in healthcare. However, the availability of similar evidence-based resources for speech-language pathology is not known. OBJECTIVE To identify online resources that provide pre-appraised evidence-based information for clinical SLP practice. This review sought to identify the strengths and gaps in available resources. METHODS Scoping review methodology was used to undertake a three-stage process to identify eligible resources across healthcare and education. A systematic search of five databases and the grey literature was conducted. Resources were reviewed for eligibility by two reviewers. A descriptive analysis was undertaken to characterise the available resources and provide an overview of the content, editorial quality, evidence-based methodology, scope of SLP clinical areas and types of evidence appraisal. Finally, resources were mapped to a model of pre-appraised evidence resources for decision-making in healthcare. RESULTS From a total of 51 resources reviewed, nine resources met eligibility for inclusion in the review. Three online resources with SLP-focused content, and another six resources from other related disciplines with SLP relevant content were identified. Seven of the resources were free and openly accessible on the internet. Across all resources critically appraised individual publications were the most commonly occurring type of pre-appraised information for SLPs. Strength of evidence ratings for interventions were provided in only two resources. There was considerable variability in the format of evidence summaries and quality indicators used across all resources. There were no SLP-focused online resources that provide synthesised, integrated summaries of appraised evidence in accessible formats for point-of-care access. CONCLUSIONS Despite the digital advances that have enabled rapid access to evidence at the point-of-care in other sectors of healthcare, this is yet to be translated to SLP practice. This review highlights opportunities for further research that harnesses innovations in digital health for rapid access to evidence in SLP practice. As a starting point, understanding the information needs and preferences of SLPs for digital evidence tools will guide the development of future resources.