Therapist-Guided Tablet-Based Telerehabilitation for Patients With Aphasia: Proof-of-Concept and Usability Study.
Stephan Moreno Gerber, Narayan Schütz, Arif Sinan Uslu and 12 others
PMID 31025946WHAT IT FOUND
Patients and therapists rated the Bern Aphasia App usable.
Patients found training enjoyable and not stressful. The study did not test whether the app improves aphasia language outcomes.
Key findings
01In the evaluation group, 15 patients with aphasia and 11 speech and language therapists participated.
02Patients rated the app usability mean 90.0 and therapists mean 75.5 on a 0 to 100 scale; patients rated it excellent and therapists rated it good.
03Five patients reported the training was feasible, enjoyable and useful, and felt little pressure or tension.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was a feasibility and usability evaluation, not a clinical trial of language outcomes. Only 15 patients and 11 therapists took part, and only 5 patients completed the motivation questionnaire. The same therapist assigned exercises and assessed the system. Patients had to be able to use a tablet and understand the task and questionnaire, and had moderate to severe aphasia after stroke or traumatic brain injury. The app required an internet connection, and slow or lost connections caused problems in rare cases. The study did not test the system in a home setting or compare it with usual therapy.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the Bern Aphasia App improves aphasia language function. The study measured usability and motivation in 15 patients and 11 therapists, and the authors state that the next step is a randomized trial to test effect.