COMMUNICATION BOARDS KIT FOR COVID-19 PATIENTS ON VENTILATORS 

WHO MAY BE TEMPORARILY UNABLE TO SPEAK

With the increasing number of our countrymen afflicted with COVID-19, our country’s healthcare workers are working tirelessly around the clock to ensure the safety and treatment of their patients. Sadly, many of these patients will need intubation or other escalated respiratory support, rendering them unable to speak.  Patients who are unable to communicate cannot effectively participate in medical decision-making and may not effectively communicate their needs and symptoms. This could greatly impact on their care.

Our healthcare workers need resources and strategies to support the communication of these patients in alternative ways. Some hospitals in the Philippines possess tools that alleviate these communication barriers in acute care settings, but many other hospitals—including those in the provinces—may lack these tools. The Philippine Association of Speech Pathologists through its Augmentative and Alternative Communication Special Interest Group (AAC-SIG) has come up with FREE, downloadable low-tech communication tools that can be quickly distributed to hospitals that are tasked to treat patients with Covid-19.