Message banking: Perceptions of persons with motor neuron disease, significant others and clinicians

Abstract

Purpose: Message banking is an intervention strategy that has the potential to facilitate effective communication for people with motor neuron disease when their condition deteriorates to the extent that they cannot communicate using natural speech. The aim of the current study was to determine and compare the perceptions on message banking of three stakeholder groups, namely, persons with motor neuron disease, their significant others and speech-language pathologists.

Method: A comparative group survey design was used. Participants listened to a short presentation about message banking, after which they individually completed a questionnaire.

Result: Although most participants reported that they had never heard of message banking, all were interested in it. The survey results revealed statistically significant differences between the various groups of stakeholders regarding the relevance of message banking and types of messages to bank.

Conclusion: The study concluded that there is limited awareness about message banking amongst all participant groups.

Keywords:

• amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• communication messages
• augmentative and alternative communication

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

This study was supported by University of Pretoria Postgraduate Research Bursary. The authors would like to thank all the participants of the study.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2017.1356377.