Communication barriers impact healthcare equality. Recognizing healthcare inequality faced by people with communication disorders, Hilary Sample, MA, CCC-SLP and Steven Leeds Richman, MA, MD collaborated to develop a method of AAC that attempts to bypass the need for training with embedded supportive communication to more immediately improve patient-provider sharing of information, reducing the impact of communication barriers when exploring medical concerns. This SLP and MD team discuss the literature review that reveals factors in this healthcare disparity as well as solutions that led to the development of the MedConcerns app as a novel solution to improve communication about medical concerns for those with communication barriers.
