Feasibility of delivering TeleCHAT: A comprehensive high-dose aphasia treatment via telerehabilitation

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of delivering 50 h of comprehensive, high-dose aphasia treatment via telerehabilitation (TeleCHAT) to people with aphasia and their support people. Design: A non-randomised one-armed quasi-experimental pre-post feasibility study. Setting: TeleCHAT was delivered from dedicated tele-suites in university spaces within a tertiary hospital. Participants received therapy in their homes via telerehabilitation using a configured telerehabilitation system which used videoconferencing software Zoom®. Participants: Three cohorts of people with aphasia (n = 12), support people (n = 11), and speech-language pathologists (n = 2) participated. Intervention: Participants completed technology training, goal setting, and clinical treatment planning prior to the intervention. The TeleCHAT intervention included 50 h of goal-directed aphasia therapy, delivered 3–5 days per week over 8 weeks. Main measures: Mixed-methods data was collected on participant demographics, aphasia profiles, achievement of dose, comprehensiveness of therapy, and support people participation. Results: A diverse group of people with aphasia completed TeleCHAT. Nine participants received the intended dose of 50 h, with the remaining three closely approaching dose. A high proportion of sessions were spent actively engaged in therapeutic tasks (94–100%). A comprehensive array of 42 therapy activities was delivered and tailored to goals across the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework. All participants had a support person participate actively in at least one session. Conclusions: It was feasible to deliver the core components of the TeleCHAT programme via telerehabilitation. As intended, a heterogeneous group of people with aphasia received a high-dose of tailored, comprehensive aphasia therapy, with the active participation of support people.