Medical Speech-Language Pathology: A Desk Reference, Fourth Edition is an easily accessible quick reference providing brief definitions, descriptions, and explanations into the vernacular that is integral to those who work in a health care setting. The purpose of this text is to advance the competencies and confidence of speech-language pathology (SLP) clinicians working in medically related settings by familiarizing them with the language, principles, practices, and procedures they will encounter.

• Contributions and editing by coauthors Bernice K. Klaben, PhD, and Claire Kane Miller, PhD. Each of these authors brings a master clinician level of knowledge and experience as medical speech-language pathologists.
• New terminology, abbreviations, and medical tests and procedures.
• Expanded in this fourth edition is the vastly changed role of the SLP in the neonatal intensive care unit and inpatient services in children's hospitals. Information related specifically to newborns and young children has been added to nearly every chapter.
• Material has been added related to medical genetics (Chapter 6).
• The discussion of oncology (Chapter 12) has been expanded to include the current tumor classifications and therapies.
• The SLP's role with geriatric medicine has expanded in recent decades; thus, a chapter on rehabilitation medicine and geriatrics (Chapter 14) has been given greater attention as clinicians are increasingly participating in palliative care teams.

• Concise, comprehensive, contextual, and well-organized definitions about medical terminology, principles, and practices.
• Information related to working with children and newborns infused throughout the text.
• Explanations about how speech-language pathology expertise is integrated into health care services across the gamut of medical disciplines.
• Knowledge about health care and health services delivery to advance career development.

In medical settings, the SLP's treatment decisions are dir