Patient experience of dysarthria therapy V1.3
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative study of patient perceptions of speech and language therapy intervention for dysarthria during the acute phase of stroke rehabilitation Version 1.3
IRAS ID
323009
Contact name
Sasha Archer
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Queen Margaret University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 0 days
Research summary
It is estimated that the speech disorder, dysarthria, occurs in 30-50% of patients following a stroke. The impairment can vary from very mildly imprecise speech to speech that is very difficult to understand and studies have suggested that its impact on the individual does not always match with another's assessment of its severity. Those with dysarthria report loss of confidence and identity as well as the impact it has on their ability to fulfil their work and family roles. Dysarthria often coincides with language disturbance (dysphasia) and physical impairment (hemiplegia), but for many patients, the main impact of their stroke is dysarthria. With the move towards rapid hospital discharges, length of hospital stays for stroke survivors with dysarthria who are independently mobile is reduced. This means the opportunity for speech and language therapy support in the acute hospital rehabilitation phase can be very limited and therefore must be time well spent. This project aims to explore the patient’s experience of dysarthria following a stroke and their perceptions of the individually tailored speech and language therapy they have received. It will explore whether individuals found therapy effective and whether they found any particular approach had a greater benefit or impact. Using semi-structured interviews, an in depth understanding of the experience of a small group of patients will be sought, in order to better understand the impact of dysarthria and to plan speech therapy for future patients. The interview data will be analysed to discover themes in their experience and the results will be presented as my Master of Research dissertation. The results will also be shared with the participants as well as the wider speech and language therapy and stroke professions.
REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/LO/0936
Date of REC Opinion
5 Mar 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion