Article
Professionalism in the Context of Providing Elective Services: Reflecting on Bias
Journal of Communication in Healthcare
(2024)
Abstract
We examine the provision of elective pronunciation services, such as intelligibility enhancement, to non-native speakers by speech language pathologists (SLPs). Practices associated with the ‘modification’ of non-native accent raise significant professionalism questions about bias for SLPs and healthcare professionals. These questions arise partly due to the socio-cultural context in which SLPs practice and their clients live, and the relational nature of communication. We argue that due to the ambiguity inherent in accent modification practices, SLPs must weigh a variety of considerations before determining the circumstances in which such services are professionally acceptable. Our argument is rooted in consideration of the complex nature of professionalism related to communication. After surveying potentially relevant models from other healthcare professions and finding them wanting, we support our position in light of current literature on topics such as accounts of functionality. We conclude by generalizing our anti-bias recommendations to interprofessional healthcare professionalism.
Keywords
- Speech language pathology,
- professional ethics,
- professionalism,
- implicit bias
Disciplines
Publication Date
March 1, 2024
DOI
10.1080/17538068.2024.2323852
Citation Information
Kathleen Nagle and Bryan C Pilkington. "Professionalism in the Context of Providing Elective Services: Reflecting on Bias" Journal of Communication in Healthcare (2024) ISSN: 1753-8076 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/kathleen-nagle/18/