Optimising resource use in audiology and speech therapy practice in South Africa: sectoral challenges, adaptive strategies and system-level implications

Efficient and contextually responsive resource utilisation is central to sustainable healthcare delivery, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Within South Africa's dual healthcare system, characterised by structural inequities, there is limited evidence on how practitioners operationalise resource use in practice....

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✦ The floor

Discussion

Signed responses from readers of the wire.

✦ Clinical Takeaway ✦

No actionable change for individual audiologists outside South Africa; findings are system-level and context-specific, offering frameworks for resource-constrained settings rather than direct practice guidance.

✦ Why It Matters ✦

Healthcare resource scarcity in low- and middle-income countries directly limits audiology service delivery, and understanding adaptive strategies could inform policy and practice in similarly under-resourced settings worldwide.

✦ Key Points ✦

01Examines resource utilisation challenges specific to audiology and speech therapy in South Africa.
02Identifies adaptive strategies practitioners use to cope with systemic constraints.
03Carries system-level implications for healthcare sustainability in resource-limited settings.
04Peer-reviewed study published in International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance.
05Findings are most relevant to health policymakers and clinic managers in low/middle-income contexts.

✦ Claims & Evidence ✦

ClaimEvidenceSupport

Audiology and speech therapy practices in South Africa face significant resource utilisation challenges that affect service delivery.

studypartially supported

Adaptive strategies employed by practitioners can help mitigate systemic resource constraints in healthcare settings.

studypartially supported

✦ Research metadata ✦

PMID: 42920318
DOI: 10.1108/IJHCQA-04-2026-0119.
Journal: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
Publication type: research_article
Evidence level: 4
Population: Audiology and speech therapy practitioners in South Africa
Intervention: Examination of adaptive resource utilisation strategies in audiology and speech therapy practice

Primary outcomes

Identification of sectoral resource utilisation challenges; Characterisation of adaptive strategies used by practitioners; System-level implications for healthcare sustainability

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