Clinical Effectiveness of the Comprehensive, High-Dose Aphasia Treatment Program for People With Poststroke Aphasia

Intensive comprehensive aphasia programs (ICAPs) are a novel service delivery model incorporating best practice principles in aphasia rehabilitation. Despite increased evidence, adoption of this model into health care services remains limited. This study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of the comprehensive, high-dose aphasia treatment (CHAT) program, a modified-ICAP, when implemented by a public rehabilitation facility in Brisbane, Australia.

A nonrandomized, Type II hybrid clinical implementation and effectiveness study design was employed. The CHAT program includes 50 hr of goal-directed aphasia rehabilitation, delivered over 8 weeks. Sixty-seven adults with poststroke aphasia consented to the study. Feasibility was evaluated using service statistics (i.e., referrals, adherence, dose) and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Effectiveness evaluated changes in participants' language impairment, communication activity and participation, and quality of life at posttherapy and 3-month follow-up. Group-level data were analyzed using linear mixed models and Cohen's d effect sizes. Minimal detectable change (MDC₉₀) was used to determine changes at the individual participant level.

Fourteen cohorts of CHAT were delivered from February 2021 to December 2023. Sixty-five participants completed CHAT, with an average dose of 46.6 hr of therapy. Group-level analyses revealed significant improvements in participants' language impairment, communication activity and participation, and quality of life (p < .05) at posttherapy and 3-month follow-up. Most participants (89%) demonstrated significant improvements on at least one outcome measure.

The CHAT program was feasibly delivered within a public, health care context and resulted in positive and enduring changes in participants' language impairment, communication function, and quality of life.

https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.30522767.