救急医と言語聴覚士の繋がり

Collaboration between emergency physicians and speech-language-hearing therapists

　救急医は，気道トラブルへの対応を求められることが多く，その原因の一つである嚥下障害へのアプローチを行う言語聴覚士と以前から深いかかわりがある．超高齢社会のさなかで，持続的なCovid-19感染者の発生，国の急性期医療充実の施策により，救急医をはじめとした急性期病態を治療する医師と言語聴覚士の繋がりは今後ますます重要になると考えられる．特に救急医は，気道・呼吸管理を担保しながら患者のADLを回復する点で言語聴覚士との協働が重要である．

　Emergency physicians are often asked to respond to airway trouble, and have long had a close relationship with speech-language-hearing therapists (SLHTs) who treat dysphagia, which is one of the causes of these problems. Due to the super-aged society, the continued occurrence of Covid-19 infections, and the country's measures to improve acute-stage medical care, the collaboration between emergency physicians and other doctors who treat acute-stage conditions and SLHTs will increase in the future. In particular, it is important for emergency physicians to collaborate with SLHTs in restoring the patient's ADL while ensuring airway and respiratory management.