Dear Participant (Final-year MBBCh/MBCHb Student)

My name is Humairaa Kuwadia and I am a final-year Speech-Language Pathology student at the University of the Witwatersrand. I am doing a study exploring the knowledge that final year medical students studying the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in South Africa have regarding dysphagia and the role of the SLP in dysphagia.

I am inviting you to take part in answering a questionnaire. If you decide to take part, your participation in this research study will take about 5-10 minutes. The research activity will take place online using a link to the questionnaire.

The questionnaire will be confidential and anonymous. When I share the results of the research study, I will not include your name or anything else that could identify you.

If you decide to take part in the research study, it should be because you want to volunteer. You do not have to take part. You can stop being in the study at any time. You do not have to answer the questions if you do not want to. You will not get any direct benefits if you choose to join the research study. You will not lose any services, benefits or rights you would normally have if you decide not to join.

The risks for this research study are no more than what happens in everyday life.

Please follow the link below which will take you to an online RedCap page where you will find the participant information sheet and the questionnaire. Please note that proceeding with the questionnaire will serve as consent to participate in the study. You may choose to stop participating in the study at any duration of the study by closing the questionnaire before submitting it.

This research study will be written up as a research report. If you would like to receive a summary of this report, I will be happy to send it to you. You may contact me on my email address, which is stated below.

This research study has received ethical clearance from the University of the Witwatersrand STA_2026_13.

If you have any questions during or afterwards about this research study, feel free to contact me or my supervisor on the details listed below. If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical procedures of this research study, you are welcome to contact the University Human Research Ethics Committee (Non-Medical), telephone +27(0) 11 717 1408, email hrecnon-medical@wits.ac.za.

Yours sincerely

Researcher: Humairaa Kuwadia, 2549531@students.wits.ac.za

Supervisor: Kelly-Ann Kater kelly-ann.kater@wits.ac.za

University of the Witwatersrand.

Questionnaire: https://redcap.core.wits.ac.za/redcap/surveys/?s=FPYMK8YD9WFF79E3