The Social Brain Toolkit: Implementation Considerations from the Development of a Suite of Novel Online Social Communication Training Programs for Adults With Acquired Brain Injury and Their Communication Partners

Abstract

Acquired brain injuries (ABI) commonly cause cognitive, behavioural, and communication changes that can dramatically alter the lives and relationships of affected individuals, their families, friends, and communities. The Social Brain Toolkit is a suite of online, evidencebased interventions to improve the in-person and online communication skills of people with ABI and their communication partners. However, even clinically effective electronic health interventions frequently fail to be sustained in real-world clinical settings. Therefore, speech-language pathologists seeking to use evidence-based online interventions like the Social Brain Toolkit need to be aware of potential implementation challenges if these interventions are to become part of routine clinical care. To this end, we use the Non-adoption, Abandonment, Scale- Up, Spread, and Sustainability theoretical framework to (a) describe developers’ efforts to support implementation, and (b) outline and explain potential implementation considerations for clinicians seeking to use evidence-based online interventions like the Social Brain Toolkit in their everyday clinical practice.

Keywords::

• Acquired brain injury
• Caregivers
• Delivery of health care
• Implementation science
• Internet interventions
• Speech-Language pathology

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melissa Miao

Melissa Miao is a speech-language pathologist and National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Postgraduate (PhD) Scholar at the University of Technology Sydney.

Emma Power

Associate Professor Emma Power is a speech-language pathologist and academic at the University of Technology Sydney.

Rachael Rietdijk

Dr Rachael Rietdijk is a postdoctoral research fellow and the Social Brain Toolkit project manager at the University of Sydney.

Melissa Brunner

Dr Melissa Brunner is a speech-language pathologist and postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Sydney.

Leanne Togher

Professor Leanne Togher is a speech-language pathologist, NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Senior Research Fellow and Principal Research Fellow at the University of Sydney.

Deborah Debono

Dr Deborah Debono is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Health at the University of Technology Sydney.