Online Speech Therapy for Cleft Palate Patients in Rural Nepal: Innovations in Providing Essential Care during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Speech therapy is important for ideal functional outcome after cleft palate surgery. Nationwide lockdown due to outbreak of COVID-19 in Nepal restricted the ability of patients to travel to nearby outreach centers for regular speech therapy. The objectives were to assess the feasibility and challenges of conducting online speech therapy with postpalatoplasty children during COVID-19 pandemic; and evaluate the ways to overcome them.

A task-shifted speech therapy program for cleft palate patients in rural Nepal: Evaluating impact and associated healthcare barriers.

Introduction: Though access to surgical care for cleft lip/palate has expanded in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), post-palatoplasty speech therapy is often lacking due to limited healthcare infrastructure and personnel. This mixed-methods study seeks to: 1) evaluate the impact of task-shifted speech therapy on a standardized speech score; 2) describe the experiences of families with post-operative cleft care and associated barriers; and 3) understand how to optimize cleft care by exploring the experiences of children who had nominal improvements after task-shifted speech therapy.

Methods: A convergent parallel mixed-methods study was conducted in Nepal.

Nepali Linguistic Validation of the Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Effects on Life Outcomes Instrument: VELO-Nepali.

Objective: To translate and validate the velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) effects on life outcomes (VELO) instrument into Nepali, and test its internal consistency and validity.

Design: Quality-of-life instrument translation and validation.

Setting: Community served by Nepal's craniofacial referral hospital.