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In a 2005 ASHA membership survey, the use of electrical stimulation was the most frequent response to the question "If there was one clinical question about which you wish you had more evidence, what would it be?" (Mullen, 2005). As a result, ASHA's National Center for Evidence-Based Practice (N-CEP) has joined with a committee of ASHA member experts to conduct an evidence-based systematic review of the scientific literature on the effectiveness of non-speech oral-motor exercises, including electrical stimulation.
The committee includes Joan Arvedson of the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Heather Clark of Appalachian State University, and Cathy Lazarus of New York University School of Medicine.
The review, which should be finalized in the first half of 2008, addresses questions specifically related to the effectiveness of electrical stimulation in four areas:
- pulmonary health, including aspiration
- functional swallowing outcomes
- drooling/secretion management
- neurologic activation during swallowing
— Rob Mullen, director of ASHA's National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders
Reference
Mullen, R. (2005, Nov. 8). Survey tests members' understanding of evidence-based practice. The ASHA Leader, 10(15), 4, 14.
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