Objective: Speech-language therapy is a cornerstone of speech and swallow rehabilitation for many ailments impacting the upper aerodigestive tract. However, therapy is only effective if patients participate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teletherapy became widely available. The purpose of this investigation is to assess the impact of teletherapy on patient participation.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted comparing patient participation in recommended speech therapy, before the availability of teletherapy in 2022, to that in 2024 when teletherapy was available at a tertiary care academic otolaryngology practice. Charts were reviewed for demographics, distance traveled to the institution, diagnosis, type of therapy recommended, number of therapy sessions attended virtually or in person, and insurance type.

Results: In 2022, 266 patients were referred to speech-language pathology; in 2024, this number was 386. A significantly greater percentage of patients attended initial SLP evaluation when teletherapy was an available option in 2024 (45% vs. 56% p=0.00). Additionally, patients who participated in teletherapy were significantly younger than those who attended in-person therapy (p=0.02). Patients who participated in therapy overall were significantly more likely to have head and neck cancer than those who did not participate either virtually or in person (p=0.05).

Conclusions: The availability of teletherapy in this tertiary care academic practice has improved patient participation rates. Teletherapy is a valuable offering which positively impacts patient outcomes and quality of life and while it may not be as effective as in-person therapy for all diagnoses, it remains a valuable part of the treatment armamentarium.