Introduction:

Few studies have described how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the clinical practices of speech and language therapists, and the knowledge of this impact in Latin American countries, such as Colombia, is even scarcer. The aim of the present study was to describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the clinical practice of speech and language therapy, as well as the adaptations implemented to guarantee health care in Colombia.

Materials and methods:

Cross-sectional study, in which an online questionnaire was applied between January and February 2021 to speech and language therapists with experience in the clinical area. The instrument inquired about sociodemographic variables and categories such as clinical professional practice and the impact of COVID-19 on clinical speech and language therapy practice. The results were analyzed descriptively and chi-square for independence was applied to find associations.

Results:

Nine percent of the professionals lost their jobs due to the pandemic, and of the remaining total, 14% opted for telehealth. There are intervention restrictions, in swallowing and speech care, as well as adaptations that seek to protect the health of the patient and the professional. It is evidenced that training in care with patients with COVID-19 promotes the use of personal protection elements (p<0.01), the construction of institutional care protocols (p<0.01) and the stability of intervention times during the sessions (p<0.04).

Conclusions:

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted clinical Speech and Language Therapy practice and changed the actions of professionals, not only by adopting biosecurity measures, but also by the transition to telehealth to guarantee health care.