Late last year, the Aphasia CRE Higher Degree Research Students participated in a competition to showcase their research in a 10 minute presentation to the Aphasia CRE research team. We are pleased to be able to share many of these with you over the coming weeks.
PhD Candidate, Edwina Lambourne from La Trobe University is the first to present in this series –
How do we improve healthcare communication for people with aphasia in hospital? A research agenda and potential approach.
Background: Communication between patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) is essential for safety and quality care . People with aphasia (PWA) are at risk of poorer care outcomes and both HCWs and PWA are feeling frustrated and disempowered when they communicate together. Supporting communication must be prioritized but it is still uncertain how best to do this for PWA.
Aims: This presentation summarises our work towards: i) presenting a research agenda to inform future mHealth interventions and ii) understanding the use of a novel mHealth intervention, the Aphasia App, to improve PWA-HCW communication.
Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted to inform a research agenda. The App was observed in use on a subacute ward with a person with aphasia. Interviews were conducted with the participant with aphasia and one HCW.
Results: The research agenda highlights four key issues that future research and interventions must address: 1) Individual- and 2) systems-level implementation barriers, 3) lack of reliable and valid outcome measures for determining change in interactions, and 4) inadequate and inconsistent reporting of studies. Preliminary data suggest use of the App is influenced by several factors. Methods are feasible and preliminary data will enrich understanding for the next stages of the project
Discussion: When COVID restrictions allow, observations and interviews will resume. We aim to investigate the impacts of App use on success of communication in the second phase of the project.
You are welcome to contact Edwina to find out more about her research through the aphasiacre@latrobe.edu.au