About the Practice Portal
About This Content
The goal of ASHA's Practice Portal is to assist audiologists and speech-language pathologists in their day-to-day practices by providing information on a given topic and making it easier to find the best available evidence and expertise in patient care, identify resources that have been vetted for relevance and credibility, and increase practice efficiency. Our goal is not to provide a practice 'recipe' but to make available to you the information and resources you need to guide your decision-making.
Content Development Process
Content on the professional issue and clinical topic pages provides key information on specific subjects and connects users to additional sources of information, evidence, and resources they need to guide their clinical decision-making. Topic ideas come from ASHA members and volunteers, staff, and other constituent groups and page content is developed through a comprehensive process.
- An internal staff team-comprising representatives from Practices, Research, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs-creates an outline of information to be covered on each page. This outline is then vetted by subject-matter experts. In the case of clinical topics, the outline also becomes the framework for developing an evidence map on the topic.
- The National Center for Evidence-Based Practice (N-CEP) begins developing an evidence map for the topic. The resources identified in the maps-including systematic reviews, guidelines, and patient perspectives, as well as ASHA policy documents and resources-provide the basis for the initial content on the page. A first draft is created.
- Subject-matter experts review the draft, identify areas in need of revision, and suggest edits. The overarching goal is to identify "need-to-know" information for busy clinical practitioners. The internal staff team reviews this feedback and makes updates and changes.
- The revised content undergoes select peer review, in which all subject-matter experts involved in the earlier stages of the process and four additional experts review the revised draft.
- The page is published online and made accessible for review and comment on the material.
Clinical topic and professional issue content will be reviewed, and, as necessary, revised, on a regular basis.
How You Can Participate
Content for the Practice Portal's professional issues and clinical topics are developed through a collaborative process. Nominate yourself and/or others to serve as subject-matter experts in your area of interest or practice by emailing Portalinfo@asha.org.
In addition, you can assist by
- alerting ASHA Practice Portal staff to new information or supplemental resources, such as newly developed tests, clinical practice guidelines, or systematics reviews to be considered for addition to the summary;
- making suggestions on how information can be better organized.
Please contact us at Portalinfo@asha.org with the information and insights we need to make this a valuable asset for you.
