PURPOSE: To assess the knowledge that persons accompanying patients in a Speech-Language Pathology school-clinic have about the work of speech-language pathologists. METHODS: Two hundred subjects were interviewed, 100 from the experimental group (EG) and 100 from the control group (CG). A questionnaires was handed to persons accompanying patients (EG) and to random individuals (CG). Data were analyzed using absolute and relative frequencies shown in tables and figures. In order to compare EG and CG, the Chi-square test was used, with a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). RESULTS: Both the experimental and the control groups revealed restricted knowledge regarding Speech-Language Pathology. The speech-language pathologist's image, to the studied population, is that of a person who treats speech and hearing; mention to other areas of work was infrequent. CONCLUSION: It was expected that persons accompanying patients during Speech-Language Pathology treatment would have greater knowledge about Speech-Language Pathology than general population, because they have had a wider contact with this profession. However, it was observed that, for both groups, the image of the speech-language pathologist was restricted to its rehabilitative aspect. Therefore, speech-language pathologists need to further promote and instruct those around them about their profession.
Patient escort service; Evaluation; Knowledge; Professional practice location; Public health
