This study examined the role of speech-language pathologists (SLP) when working with patients facing life-limiting disease in the context of palliative care (PC), hospice (HC), and end-of life (EoL) care settings. A survey was distributed to SLPs in the United States through profession-specific listservs, social media, and professional contacts. The survey was constructed to collect information regarding roles of the SLP, PC team make-up, impact of COVID on providing PC, professional burnout of SLPs associated with PC, challenges faced by SLPs in PC, and desired attributes and skills of SLPs working in PC. Relevant demographic information was also collected. Sixty-seven participant surveys met the study inclusion criteria and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions about challenges and desired attributes and skills. There was a high percentage of respondents who agreed that the roles of an SLP in PC include providing consultations to patients, families, and care team members regarding communication, cognition, and/or swallowing to support a patient’s quality of life. A wide range of professionals were reported to be part of PC teams, most notably social workers, PC specialists, and nursing teams. There was not consensus about the satisfaction of how SLPs are integrated into PC teams. Of the Big 9 service areas, swallowing was the most frequently addressed. The most common challenges reported were related to difficulties working with other healthcare professionals and directly with patients/families, and emotional and psychological burden from PC work. The skills needed to work in PC as identified by these SLPs included a variety of personal traits, empathy and compassion, and strong communication skills. Overall, results from this study help to establish a current baseline of the perceptions and experiences of SLPs working in PC settings.
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