Communication, language, and speech disorders in general and family medicine

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v41i1.13414

Keywords:

Communication, Language, Speech, Development, Disorders, General and family medicine, General practitioners

Abstract

Introduction: Speech, language, and communication disorders (SLCD) cause changes in children's neurodevelopment. Communicative development must be assessed early on to detect changes, where continuity of care from the family doctor plays a key role. The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of PCLF training.

Methods: Longitudinal intervention study, with assessment before and after training involving family doctors. A questionnaire was applied before the training to assess communication, language, and speech knowledge and to characterize the participants' opinions about their skills. After training based on clinical cases, knowledge was reassessed using the same questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed by calculating means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. The evolution of the proportion of correct answers was assessed using the McNemar test, considering a significance level of 0.05.

Results: Sixty-eight female family doctors participated, 69.1% aged ≤35 years and 50% attending internship. There was an improvement in knowledge in most assessment parameters, especially in hyperactivity and behaviour, where the initial assessment was less positive. Initial satisfaction with knowledge and skills was low, ranging from 1.88 to 2.65 out of a maximum of 5, despite 90.9% reporting high interest in this area.

Conclusion: The training had an overall positive impact, appearing useful for family doctors, who were not very satisfied with their previous skills and competencies, concluding that investment in training in this area is relevant.

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Published

2025-03-05

How to Cite

Communication, language, and speech disorders in general and family medicine. (2025). Portuguese Journal of Family Medicine and General Practice, 41(1), 27-40. https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v41i1.13414

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