Rapid transition to telepractice across the lifespan in speech-language pathology: Insight from a survey of clinicians in Canada.

PURPOSE: This study aims to describe the experiences and needs of Canadian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who conducted communication assessments via telepractice across the lifespan during the first year (2020) of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: The present study consisted of an online survey that aimed to capture both quantitative aspects of telepractice-based communication assessment and the qualitative experience of shifting to telepractice. One hundred sixty-eight practicing SLPs across Canada participated in the survey, between September 2020 and January 2021. Quantitative results were analysed using descriptive statistics while open-ended responses were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULT: SLPs identified challenges and opportunities relating to client and family engagement, access to and knowledge of technology, and the reliability of assessment tools. SLPs also identified a future need for online assessment materials and training, such as materials adapted for different communication needs (e.g. augmentative and alternative communication). CONCLUSION: The present study contributes to a growing understanding worldwide of potential benefits and challenges related to telepractice, fuelled by the necessary shift in practices in our field during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results provide direction for continuing to build a valid and inclusive approach to telepractice in the future.

Implementation and Effects of an Information Technology-Based Intervention to Support Speech and Language Therapy Among Stroke Patients With Aphasia: Protocol for a Virtual Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Mobile app-based therapies are increasingly being employed by speech-language pathologists in the rehabilitation of people with aphasia as adjuncts or substitutes for traditional in-person therapy approaches. These apps can increase the intensity of treatment and have resulted in meaningful outcomes across several domains. OBJECTIVE: VoiceAdapt is a mobile therapy app designed with user and stakeholder feedback within a user-centered design framework. VoiceAdapt uses two evidence-based lexical retrieval treatments to help people with aphasia in improving their naming abilities through interactions with the app. The purpose of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) proposed here is to examine the feasibility and clinical efficacy of training with VoiceAdapt on the language and communication outcomes of people with aphasia. METHODS: A multicenter RCT is being conducted at two locations within Canada. A total of 80 people with aphasia will be recruited to participate in a two-arm, waitlist-controlled, crossover group RCT. After baseline assessment, participants will be randomized into an intervention group or a waitlist control group. The intervention group participants will engage in 5 weeks of training with the app, followed by posttreatment and follow-up assessments after an additional 5 weeks. Those in the waitlist control group will have no training for 5 weeks; this is followed by pretreatment assessment, training for 5 weeks, and posttreatment assessment. All trial procedures are being conducted remotely given the COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: Recruitment of participants started in September 2020, and the study is expected to be completed by March 2022. Publication of results is expected within 6 months of study completion. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the RCT will provide information on evidence-based practice using technology-based solutions to treat aphasia. If positive results are obtained from this RCT, the VoiceAdapt app can be recommended as an efficacious means of improving lexical retrieval and communicative functioning in people with aphasia in an easily accessible and a cost-effective manner. Moreover, the implementation of this RCT through remote assessment and delivery can provide information to therapists on telerehabilitation practices and monitoring of app-based home therapy programs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04108364; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04108364. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/30621.

The Impact of Aphasia Camp Participation on Quality of Life: A Primary Progressive Aphasia Perspective.

Individuals with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and their caregivers are at risk for decreased quality of life (QoL) due to their progressive condition. Aphasia camps are an intervention that can improve QoL, yet individuals with PPA are underrepresented at aphasia camps relative to those with poststroke aphasia. The purpose of this exploratory case study was to examine the effect of participation in aphasia camp on the QoL of a couple impacted by PPA. The Living with Aphasia: Framework for Outcome Measurement (A-FROM) was used to guide a semistructured interview with an individual with PPA and her spouse, both of whom had attended the Alberta Aphasia Camp for 4 years. Conventional content analysis with an inductive approach was used to analyze results. Concepts that emerged from the interview were organized into pre-camp, during, and post-camp categories. Aspects of camp that had an effect on post-camp QoL for this couple with PPA included expanding social connections and introduction to new activities. Personal characteristics exhibited by the couple had an impact on their experience of aphasia camp and how they incorporated their experiences into their everyday lives post-camp. Aphasia camps are a participation-based service approach that can benefit people with aphasia regardless of etiology. A consideration of personal factors of potential campers with PPA, and the provision of PPA-specific resources, is recommended for programs such as aphasia camps that incorporate participants with mixed etiologies.