Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Speaking, swallowing, arithmetic, and remembering. These are natural gestures, taken for granted until a stroke, tumor, car accident, or developmental delay challenges them. Estimates indicate language or communication difficulties in children range from 7 to 10 percent, while in adults, communication and swallowing difficulties affect many of the approximately 100 Italians who suffer strokes each year.
These are the roles of speech therapists, healthcare professionals who work in hospitals, community settings, and clinics with increasingly greater clinical responsibilities, focusing on speech, voice, nutrition, and complex cognitive functions. How to ensure these professionals receive adequate training was discussed today in Bologna at the Zanhotel Europa during the 2nd Congress of Italian Speech Therapists, promoted by the National Register of Speech Therapists Commission, attended by over 350 professionals from across the country.
The demand from the profession is for a reform to introduce clinical specialist degrees for speech therapists who already have advanced skills, to ensure the safety of care.
As a point of comparison, France has introduced a five-year qualifying degree for speech therapists. The president of the National Federation of French Speech Therapists, Sarah Degiovani, was present in Bologna.
Representatives from institutions, universities, and regional healthcare providers participated in the discussion, while the professionals presenting their cutting-edge clinical experiences in developmental, neurology, oncology, and audiology, along with digital technologies that make care more personalized and accessible.
"It's now widely accepted that training is strategic for public health," says Tiziana Rossetto, president of the National Register of Speech Therapists Commission. "Today, we're talking about global health, in a context of clinical, organizational, epidemiological, and social complexity that requires professionals to continuously update their skills, which is essential to meet the evolving health needs of individuals and the community. Initiating a reform of clinical specialist degrees is a commitment that the Commission and the FNO Tsrm and Pstrp will take to all relevant bodies."
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