News | Wednesday, 6th April 2022
Researchers join international WHO effort to support healthcare for Ukrainians
Speech and language therapists Professors Julie Marshall and Janice Murray and PhD student Helen Barrett are helping provide expert training and support
University health academics are organising expert training and support for those providing medical care on the frontline of the war in Ukraine.
Professor Julie Marshall and PhD student and research collaborator Helen Barrett are part of an international effort, organised by the World Health Organization (WHO), to match health expertise with urgent medical needs in Ukraine.
They have shared their expert knowledge in providing rehabilitation for those experiencing communication and swallowing difficulties, either because of existing conditions or injuries caused during Russia’s invasion.
Marshall, Professor of Communication Disability at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “We are really humbled to be able to contribute to the efforts to support our colleagues in Ukraine and nearby countries, and are pleased to see that our learning from humanitarian and low-resource settings can be useful in very different contexts.”
Additionally, Prof Janice Murray has provided communication advice and resources to the WHO, including translated materials in Ukrainian and Polish. These communication boards have been added to assistive technology kits for trauma wards. This was done in her international role as Chair of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Committee of the International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders (IALP).
We are really humbled to be able to contribute to the efforts to support our colleagues in Ukraine and nearby countries, and are pleased to see that our learning from humanitarian and low-resource settings can be useful in very different contexts
Murray, Professor of Communication Disability at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “Aided communication supports are typically offered to those with severe speech and communication challenges. It is pleasing to see how such resources can be used in a humanitarian context to support effective communication where the spoken languages are not readily understood.”
Webinar
A livestreamed training webinar for frontline Ukrainian healthcare workers was organised by UK and Ukrainian professionals and covered a range of trauma-related topics.
Prof Marshall and Barrett’s contribution was supported by Communication Therapy International an international network - supporting speech and language therapists from high-income countries to work appropriately in low- and middle-income countries.
It is pleasing to see how such resources can be used in a humanitarian context to support effective communication where the spoken languages are not readily understood.
Their advice focused on basic information and resources on how to improve care for those who experience communication disabilities within a conflict zone, and also basic advice to help people with swallowing difficulties who are unable to access specialist facilities, for example positioning and changing food textures.
Professor Marshall and Barrett are developing expertise in humanitarian work, having previously worked with UNHCR in refugee camps in Rwanda, and with WHO and Humanity and Inclusion during a measles outbreak in Samoa. Barrett also recently designed the pre-departure communication and swallowing training content for the UK Emergency Medical Team – a cadre of FCDO-funded UK medical specialists who are deployed by the British Government to support with emergency health care in humanitarian crises.
Their previous research has shown that communication disabilities are often ‘invisible’ and increase the protection risk experienced by refugees.
