Development of a Training Program to Increase Student Clinician Competency when Communicating with People with Aphasia

Abstract

The Washington University in St. Louis Stroke Clinic is a student-run free clinic (SRSC) designed to enhance student learning and provide the community with no-cost evidence-based occupational therapy services. Aphasia is a common communication impairment after stroke that affects the ability to access services and give and get information, and impacts life participation and satisfaction. Conversation partner training is an evidence-based treatment approach to improve communication with people with aphasia (PWA). The purpose of this project was to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of student clinician training about communicating with PWA using conversation partner training in the SRSC. This study was a single-group prospective pre-post cohort study with two phases. In Phase 1, eight students completed a series of formal and informal feedback measures to evaluate student perception of the current training. In Phase 2, six students completed a conversation partner education protocol with a flipped classroom model and includes self-evaluation and evaluation of competency with a skills check-out. Student clinicians reported increased knowledge, skills, and confidence in their ability to communicate with PWA. Students demonstrated increased skill in acknowledging and revealing the competence, building rapport, as well as giving and receiving valuable information. This was the first study looking solely at the value of student occupational therapy education on communicating with PWA. Through this experience, these students were better prepared to interact with future clients with aphasia.

Keywords

• Stroke
• aphasia
• supported conversation
• free clinic
• education