Efficacy of Aphasia Group Conversation Treatment via Telepractice on Language and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Speech-Language Pathology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Conversation treatment is effective for people with aphasia (PwA), improving language and quality of life.
• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telepractice for treatment delivery.
• Evidence for the efficacy of telepractice conversation groups remains limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of telepractice group conversation treatment on PwA.
• To compare telepractice outcomes with in-person and no-treatment control data.
• To assess standardized language measures and patient-reported outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A mixed within- and between-groups design with a single-subject delayed treatment approach was used.
• Telepractice group results were compared to historical data from in-person and no-treatment control groups.
• Standardized testing and communication outcome measures were administered at baseline, pretreatment, and posttreatment intervals.

Main Results:

• The telepractice group showed significant pre- to posttreatment improvements in repetition and picture description.
• The in-person group demonstrated significant improvements in communication outcomes and utterance measures.
• No significant changes were observed in the no-treatment control groups.

Conclusions:

• Both in-person and telepractice conversation groups offer benefits compared to no treatment.
• In-person treatment yielded broader improvements across more outcome measures than telepractice.
• Further research is warranted to fully understand the potential of telepractice for PwA conversation groups.