Communication intervention for patients with aphasia Nervous System Diseases
Conditions
Interventions
The VESFA trial was a single-blind, phase II feasibility randomised controlled trial comparing usual care plus the VESFA intervention (VESFA+UC) with a usual care control (UCC).
Participants were rand
Sponsors
City St George's, University of London
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 100 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Diagnosis of stroke 2. At least four months post-stroke 3. Aged 18 years or older 4. Presence of word-finding difficulties due to post-stroke aphasia 5. Score of less than 76/100 on the naming and word finding subtests of the Western Aphasia Battery (Kertesz, 2007) 6. Score of 6/10 or above on the Frenchay Aphasia Screening Test (Enderby et al., 1987) 7. Sufficient comprehension to: - Understand the participant information sheet - Complete outcome measures such as the SAQOL-39g - Follow instructions in a virtual environment without face-to-face support 8. Availability of a person (living in the same household or COVID bubble) to assist with technical issues 9. Access to a computer meeting the minimum system requirements for Second Life or willingness to borrow a laptop from the University 10. Willingness to grant remote access to their computer via Zoom remote control or TeamViewer for technical support
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Diagnosis of a condition affecting cognition other than stroke (e.g., dementia) 2. Severe uncorrected visual problems that would prevent access to computer-based stimuli 3. Severe uncorrected hearing problems that would prevent access to computer-based stimuli 4. Presence of a severe or potentially terminal co-morbidity 5. Not being a fluent English speaker prior to stroke (based on self or family report)
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Feasibility of delivering the intervention remotely is measured using participant questionnaires and session cancellation rates due to technical difficulties at post-intervention 2. Feasibility of recruitment is measured using screening logs and consent rates at baseline 3. Feasibility of retention is measured using participant availability data at follow-up 4. Acceptability of research processes is measured using dropout rates and proportion of missing data per outcome measure across baseline, mid-point and follow-up 5. Acceptability of research processes is further measured using post-therapy and usual care questionnaires administered at post-intervention 6. Acceptability of intervention to participants is measured using adherence rates recorded during the intervention period and post-therapy questionnaire responses at post-intervention | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Treated word retrieval is measured using the VESFA Naming Test at T1, T2 and T3 2. Independent word retrieval is measured using the Boston Naming Test at T1, T2 and T3 3. Functional communication is measured using the Scenario Test, UK at T1, T2 and T3 4. Word production in discourse is measured using the Nicholas and Brookshire protocol at T1, T2 and T3 5. Health-related quality of life is measured using the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life questionnaire-39 item, general (SAQOL-39g) at T1, T2 and T3 6. Mood is measured using the General Health Questionnaire-12 item (GHQ-12) at T1, T2 and T3 7. Aphasia severity is measured using the Western Aphasia Battery – Revised (WAB-R) at T1, T2 and T3 | — |
Countries
England, United Kingdom
Contacts
Public ContactNiamh Devane
Outcome results
None listed