Language outcomes are important

BMJ 1995;311:1432 (25 November)

Letters

Language outcomes are important

EDITOR,--Tony Markus and Peter Ward Booth report that the outcomeof cleft lip and palate surgery in Britiain is poor comparedwith that in other European countries.¹ It is regrettable thatthey refer only to the outcome measure of facial growth andmake no reference to speech, which is recognised as an equallyimportant indicator of the success of surgery.² Furthermore,when they mention speech and language therapy it is to recommendtreatment in local district general hospitals, where, they say,speech and language therapy services are "well placed and fundedto provide a comprehensive service." This is a misinformed generalisation.Many district general hospitals do not have clinicians specialisingin cleft palate. In advocating the dispersal of speech and languagetherapy services to generalist clinicians Markus and Ward Boothapparently fail to appreciate the specialist nature of suchtherapy for patients with cleft palate. A similar implicationis made . . . [Full text of this article]

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