Therapist-Guided Tablet-Based Telerehabilitation for Patients With Aphasia: Proof-of-Concept and Usability Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Digital Health

Background:

• Aphasia impairs language functions, affecting communication and social life.
• Therapy requires individual adaptation due to the heterogeneity of aphasia.
• Tablet-based apps offer a promising, accessible, and beneficial approach for independent patient training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an adaptive multimodal system for home-based aphasia therapy.
• To enable autonomous patient training with individualized, remotely assigned tasks.
• To facilitate progress tracking and the creation of new exercises by therapists.

Main Methods:

• A system with separate patient and therapist interfaces was developed.
• Exercises are based on a hierarchical language structure.
• Usability and motivation were evaluated using the System Usability Scale and Intrinsic Motivation Inventory.

Main Results:

• 11 therapists and 15 patients with aphasia participated.
• Patients rated the app's usability as excellent (score >70), therapists rated it as good (score >85).
• Patients reported enjoyment in solving exercises (mean score 3.5/6).

Conclusions:

• The system is well-accepted and user-friendly for both patients and therapists.
• The app supports individualized training doses and intensities for diverse aphasia types.
• This novel system shows potential as a supplementary tool for aphasia treatment.