Translating research into evidence-based aphasia therapy for patients

Metro North Health, in partnership with The University of Queensland’s (UQ) Queensland Aphasia Research Centre (QARC) have developed a new aphasia treatment program called CHAT (Comprehensive High-Dose Aphasia Treatment).

Aphasia is a common and complex language and communication disability that often occurs after stroke. It affects the ability to talk, to understand what people are saying, to read and to write.

Research has shown that aphasia has the largest negative impact on health-related quality of life, when compared to 60 other diseases including cancer, quadriplegia, Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral palsy.

Clinicians from the STARS CHAT and UQ QARC teams

CHAT has been embedded into routine clinical practice at the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS). This joint clinical research collaboration aims to evaluate the process, outcomes and effectiveness of implementing CHAT into routine clinical practice within a rehabilitation hospital setting.

“The CHAT program is as an eight-week intensive treatment program of targeted aphasia therapy that is delivered by STARS speech pathology clinicians,” STARS Director of Speech Pathology and Audiology Kylie Short said.

“The comprehensive treatment program aims to improve everyday communication and links people with aphasia and their families with others who are living with aphasia.”

“The program targets individual communication goals through one-to-one therapy, group work and computer-based treatment.”

QARC Director Professor David Copland said that participants who have completed the CHAT program have shown significant improvements in their communication, confidence, and quality of life.

“The program has been well received by program participants, with improvements measured across impairment, functional, participation and communication quality of life measures,” Professor Copland said.

“The implementation of CHAT at STARS has resulted in increased access for consumers to evidence-based comprehensive aphasia intervention as part of usual care within the STARS Speech Pathology clinical service.”

QARC is the first dedicated aphasia centre in Australia that works in partnership with a health service through a university and hospital alliance, the STARS Education and Research Alliance (SERA) between Metro North Health and The University of Queensland. The CHAT implementation study is an example of a successful collaboration between STARS clinicians, QARC researchers and consumers to deliver this new model of care for people with aphasia.