ExPloring digital Aphasia Therapy in Hospital after Stroke (PATHS) v8
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the hospital-based experiences of receiving, supporting and providing digital aphasia therapy after stroke
IRAS ID
340024
Contact name
Jennifer Thomson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust R&I Governance Manager
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
n/a, N/a
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 12 days
Research summary
Aphasia is a language disorder that affects a person's ability to follow conversation, read, spell and find words as a result of a stroke. One intervention offered by Speech and Language Therapists is impairment-based therapy, which aims to restore damaged language skills. Stroke research has demonstrated how technology can be used to deliver these impairment-based language therapies via digital applications/programmes.
Several significant research studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of digital aphasia therapy (e.g. BIC CACTUS (Palmer et al, 2019,2020). Research is now exploring behaviour change and implementation factors of digital aphasia rehabilitation and therapy for SLTs and stroke survivors e.g. adherence to the treatment schedule. However, the evidence base has been established predominantly within the home environment, and, at the chronic stage of stroke recovery. Recently updated national stroke guidance recognises this research and now recommends digital aphasia therapies to increase practice (dose), alongside in-person aphasia rehabilitation from a speech and language therapist.
This study will involve stroke survivors with aphasia receiving hospital-based stroke rehabilitation. Stroke survivors will be loaned an iPad to use for digital aphasia therapy during their hospital stay, alongside their usual care from a speech and language therapist. A supporting visitors will be shown how to support them, if required (or this support will be provided by an SLT Assistant if a visitor is not available). The stroke survivors with aphasia, their supporting visitors and the speech and language therapists providing their digital aphasia rehabilitation, will be interviewed near to the stroke survivor being discharged from hospital. All participants will be asked questions about their experiences and perceptions of digital aphasia rehabilitation in the hospital setting.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
24/WA/0114
Date of REC Opinion
29 May 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion