Perspectives on ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation: exploring feasibility, usability and acceptance of this mode of rehabilitation

Kearns, Áine

Perspectives on ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation: exploring feasibility, usability and acceptance of this mode of rehabilitation

dc.availability.bitstream	embargoed
dc.check.chapterOfThesis	Embargo until 2025 as per email. No sections for redaction.	en
dc.check.date	2025-03-20
dc.contributor.advisor	Kelly, Helen	en
dc.contributor.advisor	Pitt, Ian	en
dc.contributor.author	Kearns, Áine
dc.contributor.funder	Health Research Board	en
dc.date.accessioned	2020-05-13T10:35:12Z
dc.date.available	2020-05-13T10:35:12Z
dc.date.issued	2019-10-03
dc.date.submitted	2019-10-03
dc.description.abstract	Background: Speech and language therapy can provide positive outcomes for people with aphasia after stroke. The intensity of therapy is a key component for successful rehabilitation outcomes but, due to resource constraints, it can be a challenge for services to provide intensive face-to-face rehabilitation. The availability of information and communication technologies (ICT) and software rehabilitation programmes offer the opportunity for intensive self-managed aphasia rehabilitation. However, it is important to establish the feasibility and acceptance of this mode of rehabilitation among those who are involved in aphasia rehabilitation; the person with aphasia (PwA) and the speech and language therapists (SLTs) who work with them. Research Aims: This thesis provides a unique perspective on the acceptance and usage of ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation for post-stroke aphasia. It aims to 1) investigate the feasibility of self-administered intensive ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation targeting auditory sentence comprehension deficits 2) explore the experiences and perspectives of people with aphasia engaging in this form of rehabilitation and 3) explore the perspectives of SLTs on the use of ICT in aphasia rehabilitation. Methods: The research in this thesis employs a mixed methods research design including: 1) participatory health research techniques in order to develop a user-designed aphasia-accessible feedback questionnaire on ICT usability and functionality 2) a mixed methods feasibility study to examine the outcomes, acceptance and usability of ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation targeting auditory comprehension at sentence level and 3) a descriptive qualitative study to explore speech and language therapists’ views of ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation. Results: The co-design process highlighted that people with aphasia can, and should, be included in all stages of the research process and especially in the development and design of evaluation measures for use by people with aphasia. The findings of the feasibility study suggest that an ICT-delivered therapeutic programme underpinned by a general approach to auditory comprehension does not result in significant treatment effects outside of assessments that reproduce the therapy task approach. ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation may be acceptable to some people with aphasia and has a role within rehabilitation. However, face-to-face contact remains a valued aspect of aphasia rehabilitation for both people with aphasia and SLTs. Attention must be given to the facilitating conditions required to support the PwA and the SLTs to enable this mode of intervention. Conclusion: This research is timely, with the rapid growth in available technologies and increasing demands for services among an ageing population. The users’ perspectives, both the PwA and the SLTs working with them, must not be overlooked when considering the impact of this mode of rehabilitation. This research identifies the factors that influence acceptance and usage of ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation within an Irish context.	en
dc.description.status	Not peer reviewed	en
dc.description.version	Accepted Version	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Kearns, Á. 2019. Perspectives on ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation: exploring feasibility, usability and acceptance of this mode of rehabilitation. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.	en
dc.identifier.endpage	363	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/10468/9944
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.publisher	University College Cork	en
dc.rights	© 2019, Áine Kearns.	en
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/	en
dc.subject	Aphasia	en
dc.subject	Rehabilitation	en
dc.subject	Information and communication technologies (ICT)	en
dc.title	Perspectives on ICT-delivered aphasia rehabilitation: exploring feasibility, usability and acceptance of this mode of rehabilitation	en
dc.type	Doctoral thesis	en
dc.type.qualificationlevel	Doctoral	en
dc.type.qualificationname	PhD - Doctor of Philosophy	en