Özet:

Abstract Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe medical faculty students’ attitude, opinions and awareness towards speech and language therapy. Methods: Three hundred fifty-seven participants participated in the study. The data was obtained through an 18-item survey including questions about speech and language therapy, knowledge about speech and language therapy and collaborative work. Descriptive statistics were calculated. SPSS 20.0 package program was used to analyze the data. Results: 38, 1 % (136) of the participants stated that they have never heard about speech and language therapy and they do not know the scope of field. The ones who have heard about the speech and language therapy/ therapist had the knowledge via their friends or relatives. Evaluating and assessing individuals with hearing impairment was the most preferred one to conduct with a speech and language therapist while fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES) was least preferred one apart from ‘I do not know’ and ‘none of them’ options. A significant correlation was found between the knowledge about ‘the education level necessary to be a speech and language therapist’ & ‘when to refer to a speech and language therapist’ and the educational stage of the students. Conclusion: Medicine students do not have enough information about the speech and language therapy and the therapists according to obtained data. It is thought to be helpful to put lectures related to speech and language disorders in curriculum in order to gain awareness and more importantly carry out an effective intervention process.

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