Stroke rehabilitation unit experience with aphasia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do adult stroke survivors with aphasia want to use their time outside of therapy on a stroke rehabilitation unit to support their own recovery?
IRAS ID
258350
Contact name
Jennifer Thomson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust R&I Governance Manager
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Stroke research is exploring and identifying the critical components of effective and efficient hospital-based / in-patient stroke rehabilitation. Identified aspects include intensity of therapy activity, creation of a stimulating and engaging ward environment and encouraging stroke survivors to guide their own recovery jointly with stroke unit staff.
Stroke survivors report, in the stroke research literature, limited opportunities to promote their own recovery along with empty and wasted time outside of therapy sessions when staying on stroke rehabilitation units. The landscape is even more bleak for stroke survivors with aphasia - a language-communication disability after damage to the brain. The majority of time outside therapy sessions for those with aphasia is spent alone, inactive and in fewer interactions/conversations than those without aphasia. Research suggests that positive initiatives e.g. development of a daily routine outside of therapy or provision 'homework' type activities may help recovery both during and after hospital-based rehabilitation.
This study will involve people with aphasia staying on a specialist stroke rehabilitation unit in a large, city-centre hospital being individually interviewed on 2 occasions. Interviews will be carried out by a speech and language therapist - a specialist trained to support people with aphasia to understand and express themselves.
The participants with aphasia will be asked questions about their experiences of how their time is spent on the unit. Questions will focus on how their time is filled on the stroke rehabilitation unit overall and specifically outside of therapy sessions, how they would like to fill their time outside of therapy sessions including any particular activities that might encourage their stroke recovery, as well as any barriers and facilitators to how time is being or may be spent.
The research is funded by a small research award from the Council for Allied Health Professions Research.
REC name
South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/SC/0384
Date of REC Opinion
16 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion