Communication partner training for health care professionals in an inpatient rehabilitation setting: A parallel randomised trial

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if the E-Learning Plus communication partner training (CPT) programme is as effective as the Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA^TM) CPT programme in improving healthcare professionals’ confidence and knowledge communicating with patients with aphasia.

Method: Forty-eight healthcare professionals working in inpatient rehabilitation participated. Participants were randomised to one of the CPT programmes. The three outcome measures were self-rating of confidence, self-rating of knowledge and a test of knowledge of aphasia. Measures were taken pre-, immediately post- and 3–4 months post-training. Data were analysed using mixed between within ANOVAs.

Result: Homogeneity of variance was adequate for self-rating of confidence and test of knowledge of aphasia data to continue analysis. There was a statistically significant difference in self-rating of confidence and knowledge of aphasia for both interventions across time. No statistically significant difference was found between the two interventions.

Conclusion: Both CPT interventions were associated with an increase in health care professionals’ confidence and knowledge of aphasia, but neither programme was superior. As the E-Learning Plus CPT programme is more accessible and sustainable in the Australian healthcare context, further work will continue on this CPT programme.

Keywords:

• aphasia
• communication partner training
• intervention
• healthcare professional
• health care setting

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Dr Leila Karimi for her statistical advice.

Declaration of Interest

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

This research was funded by a St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne Research Endowment Fund (REF) award. The authors thank staff in the speech pathology department and rehabilitation units at St. Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne who supported this research and the staff members who agreed to participate in this study.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed at http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2017.1290137

Appendix 1. Description of each communication partner training program

Appendix 2. Measure of self-rating of confidence

Appendix 3. Measure of self-rating of knowledge

Appendix 4