Poster The Joint Annual Meeting of the Stroke Society of Australasia (SSA) and Smartstrokes 2023

Use the phone to get home: Development of an informal functional mobile phone assessment tool for people with Aphasia (#141)

Pip Taylor 1 , Sally Loustau 1
  1. Balmain Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Balmain, NSW, Australia

Background: 

Aphasia is a communication disability impacting auditory comprehension, verbal expression, reading and writing. A potential functional consequence of aphasia is difficulty using mobile phones, resulting in barriers to communicating in an emergency and socially connecting with family and friends2,3. Existing assessment of mobile phone use for people with Aphasia (PWA) at Balmain Hospital was ad hoc. A localised assessment template would improve efficiency, consistency, and patient outcomes1.

Aims: 

To develop, pilot, adapt and tailor a mobile phone assessment tool to support Speech Pathologists’ decision-making and therapy planning regarding PWA’s readiness for discharge to independent living.

Methods: 

An informal tool was developed by student Speech Pathologists, based on a published checklist of barriers and facilitators to mobile phone use for PWA2. The tool was piloted by two Speech Pathologists and one Occupational Therapists with two PWA and survey responses obtained. Clinician and consumer feedback guided adaptations to condense and tailor the tool to the population and setting. Supplemental aphasia-friendly resources were created.

Results: 

Clinician’s barriers to use were: assessment length and duration; content duplication and privacy issues around accessing PWA’s mobile phones. Consumer feedback was: difficulty understanding written scenarios and assessment fatigue. Post pilot adaptations resulted in: reduction in tool length; decrease in assessment duration, and increased consistency of mobile phone assessment processes. Supplemental aphasia-friendly resources improved PWA’s comprehension and enhanced real-life application of the assessment for PWA in an inpatient rehabilitation setting.

Conclusion: 

An informal mobile phone assessment for PWA was developed and piloted by Speech Pathologists and Occupational Therapists in an inpatient rehabilitation setting. Clinician and consumer feedback supported adaptation, shortening, and tailoring of the assessment to PWA, including development of supplemental, aphasia-friendly scenario resources. This tool supports Speech Pathologist’s decision-making around readiness for discharge to independent living.