Learn about the latest research projects our students are undertaking as part of their PhD studies. Students were invited to do a 10 minute presentation on their research in the Student Showcase competition, we are pleased to share some of these presentations. To see more, check the Student research category on the blog sidebar.
Aphasia CRE Student Showcase 2021 presentation by Kathleen Mellahn, “What are we doing for CALD people with aphasia in hospital?”
Objective: People with aphasia and culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) people are both at higher risk of poorer inpatient outcomes. For CALD people with aphasia there are additional challenges in providing appropriate aphasia assessment and intervention and they may be at risk of disadvantage in their access to comprehensive care.
Aims: This study aimed to examine the extent and nature of what is known about the inpatient phase of aphasia rehabilitation for CALD stroke survivors and identify potential research gaps in the literature for further investigation.
Methods: A scoping review with systematic search was conducted in September 2020 following the PRISMA Scoping Review checklist. Five electronic databases were searched using a combination of terms pertaining to “aphasia”, “inpatient care” and “CALD”.
Results: The searches yielded 18 studies. Data regarding the inpatient phase of care indicates that CALD people with aphasia do not always receive comprehensive assessment or intervention in all their languages which may impact discharge planning and access to community services. Speech pathologists consistently report numerous barriers to service provision for this population. No studies were found that investigate the degree and nature of differences in health or rehabilitation outcomes between CALD and non-CALD stroke survivors with aphasia.
Conclusions: CALD people with aphasia inconsistently access speech pathology services in hospital. Assessment is unlikely to be conducted in patient primary languages and therapy is usually provided in the language of the speech pathologist. Further research is required to determine if this has an impact on functional outcomes and health services.