Listening-in-noise difficulties following stroke: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Across different populations, listening difficulties have been shown to adversely impact social interactions and work performance, and substantively contribute to poorer quality of life. Following a stroke, people also report listening difficulties in noisy, everyday environments such as cafes and workplaces. Despite the prevalence of these challenges, there is limited understanding of this issue, which means the listening needs of stroke survivors remain under-recognised and unmet.

The Peer Effect Is "Utterly Profound": A Social-ABI-lity Pilot Study of a Multicomponent, Peer-Moderated Social Media Skills Intervention for People With Acquired Brain Injury.

Purpose: People who have an acquired brain injury (ABI) experience challenges in using social media. However, rehabilitation clinicians report feeling inadequately prepared to support them in its use. We aimed to evaluate the outcomes of a multicomponent, peer-moderated social media skills intervention for people with ABI.

How do LGBTQI+ stroke survivors and their partners experience sex and sexuality after stroke?

Introduction: Stroke survivors and their partners experience changes in sexuality after experiencing a stroke. However, there is limited research into how stroke can change the experience of sexuality among LGBTQI+ stroke survivors and their partners. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of sex and sexuality among LGBTQI+ stroke survivors and their partners post-stroke.

Feasibility and Reliability of the Adapted Kagan Scales for Rating Conversations for People With Acquired Brain Injury: A Multiphase Iterative Mixed-Methods Design.

Purpose: Rating the quality of conversations can assess communication skills in both people with acquired brain injury and their communication partners. This study explored the clinical feasibility and reliability of two conversation rating scales: the Adapted Measure of Participation in Conversation (MPC) and the Adapted Measure of Support in Conversation (MSC).

Method: Raters were final-year speech and language therapy students ( = 14) and qualified clinicians ( = 2).

Views of speech pathology educators on a learning resource for cognitive-communication disorders: a user survey of TBIBank Grand Rounds.

Background Cognitive-communication disorders are highly prevalent after traumatic brain injury and have significant impacts on rehabilitation outcomes. TBIBank Grand Rounds was developed as an online multimedia resource to support clinical education about cognitive-communication disorders. The objective of this study was to survey speech pathology educators to establish their views towards TBIBank Grand Rounds.

Efficacy of videoconferencing-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy to reduce anxiety disorder severity in LGBTQ+ people: An exploratory trial protocol.

Objective: Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is a well-established treatment for anxiety disorders in the general population. However, the efficacy of CBT for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and otherwise non-heterosexual or non-cisgender (LGBTQ+) people with anxiety disorders is still emerging in the literature. This protocol proposes an exploratory, two-group, randomized controlled trial comparing the efficacy of CBT for anxiety disorders against a waitlist control group.

The Ideal Canine Companion: Re-Exploring Australian Perspectives on Ideal Characteristics for Companion Dogs.

Defining the ideal characteristics of canine companions is imperative to those seeking to improve human-dog relationships. Previous investigations into the preferred traits of companion dogs were conducted before substantial recent events, such as the rise of social media and the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered human lifestyles and potentially affected canine preferences and owner satisfaction. This study surveyed Australian adults ( = 337) online to assess these shifts.

Cognitive behavioural therapy for internalizing symptoms in LGBTQ+ people: a preliminary meta-analysis.

Internalizing disorders are common in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and otherwise non-heterosexual or non-cisgender (LGBTQ+) people. Few studies have evaluated the efficacy of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), a well-established treatment for internalizing disorders, in LGBTQ+ people. The current study quantitatively synthesized outcomes from existing trials of CBT for internalizing disorders in LGBTQ+ people.

Establishing Quality Indicators and Implementation Priorities for Post-Stroke Aphasia Services Through End-User Involvement.

Background: Currently, there are no agreed quality standards for post-stroke aphasia services. Therefore, it is unknown if care reflects best practices or meets the expectations of people living with aphasia. We aimed to (1) shortlist, (2) operationalise and (3) prioritise best practice recommendations for post-stroke aphasia care.

Enabling decision-making: what assists people with motor neurone disease when they consider gastrostomy insertion?

Purpose: This study explores the views of people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) when they consider Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) insertion, to understand their priorities and how their decisions were informed or supported.

Materials And Methods: The study took place in single multidisciplinary specialised MND clinic in New South Wales, Australia. Nine people with MND (5 male and 4 female; age range 52-73 years; disease duration 6-99 months) who were considering, or had recently undergone PEG insertion, participated.

Digital, co-created implementation of communication partner training programs for stroke, brain injury, and dementia: Past, present, and future.

Purpose: Communication partner training is a recommended intervention for partners of people with acquired brain injury. In this paper we explore the past, present, and future of communication partner training (CPT) based on our 2023 Speech Pathology Australia national conference address.

Method: We focus on our research team's contributions, and highlight research knowledge across stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and dementia.

Implementing ward-based practice books to increase the amount of practice completed during inpatient stroke rehabilitation: a mixed-methods process evaluation.

Purpose: Stroke survivors must complete large amounts of practice to achieve functional improvements but spend many hours inactive during their rehabilitation. We conducted a mixed methods process evaluation exploring factors affecting the success of a 6-month behaviour change intervention to increase use of ward-based practice books.

Methods: Audits of the presence, quality and use of ward based-practice books were conducted, alongside focus groups with staff ( = 19), and interviews with stroke survivors ( = 3) and family members ( = 4).

Development of the Valued Living Questionnaire - Comprehension Support version (VLQ-CS) and validation in adults with acquired brain injury.

Purpose: Valued living (acting in accordance with personal values) is associated with better outcomes after acquired brain injury (ABI), but its measurement using the Valued Living Questionnaire (VLQ) may not be valid due to comprehension errors relating to structure and content. We aimed to modify the VLQ to improve its accessibility and evaluate construct validity and reliability in an ABI cohort.

Materials And Methods: Adaptations made in the VLQ - Comprehension Support version (VLQ-CS) used established communication support methods and addressed common comprehension errors.

Spatial Neglect: An Exploration of Clinical Assessment Behaviour in Stroke Rehabilitation.

Objective: There is a large gap between evidence-based recommendations for spatial neglect assessment and clinical practice in stroke rehabilitation. We aimed to describe factors that may contribute to this gap, clinician perceptions of an ideal assessment tool, and potential implementation strategies to change clinical practice in this area.

Design: Qualitative focus group investigation.

Exploring Discussions About Virtual Reality on Twitter to Inform Brain Injury Rehabilitation: Content and Network Analysis.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) use in brain injury rehabilitation is emerging. Recommendations for VR development in this field encourage end user engagement to determine the benefits and challenges of VR use; however, existing literature on this topic is limited. Data from social networking sites such as Twitter may further inform development and clinical practice related to the use of VR in brain injury rehabilitation.

Perspectives of Orthoptists Working with Patients with Communication Impairments.

Aims: To survey orthoptists' confidence in communicating with patients with communication impairments and to investigate resources orthoptists are currently using to aid assessment and management and to explore future resources that may be beneficial.

Methods And Procedures: Practicing orthoptists (n = 63; median age range: 31-35 years old) completed an online survey with quantitative and qualitative questions which investigated approaches to adult and paediatric patients with communication impairments and any communication tools used. Analysis of quantitative survey responses was conducted using IBM SPSS v27.

Communication between rehabilitation staff and people with traumatic brain injury: A systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to synthesize barriers and facilitators in communicative interactions between staff and people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the rehabilitation context. Searches captured published evidence up to November 2022 in MEDLINE, Embase, SCOPUS, Web of Science, CINAHL, AMED, and PsycINFO. Eligible studies reported on the communicative interaction between rehabilitation staff and adults with TBI.

Digital Health Implementation Strategies Coproduced With Adults With Acquired Brain Injury, Their Close Others, and Clinicians: Mixed Methods Study With Collaborative Autoethnography and Network Analysis.

Background: Acquired brain injuries (ABIs), such as stroke and traumatic brain injury, commonly cause cognitive-communication disorders, in which underlying cognitive difficulties also impair communication. As communication is an exchange with others, close others such as family and friends also experience the impact of cognitive-communication impairment. It is therefore an internationally recommended best practice for speech-language pathologists to provide communication support to both people with ABI and the people who communicate with them.

Efficacy of online communication partner training package for student healthcare professionals.

Background: People with aphasia are vulnerable recipients of healthcare. The nature of the communicative environment and the communication disability can adversely impact access to timely and quality healthcare. Student healthcare professionals are often underprepared to interact successfully with people with aphasia and may benefit from communication partner training (CPT).

Developing a Digital Health Intervention for Conversation Skills After Brain Injury (convers-ABI-lity) Using a Collaborative Approach: Mixed Methods Study.

Background: People with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience communication breakdown in everyday interactions many years after injury, negatively impacting social and vocational relationships. Communication partner training (CPT) is a recommended intervention approach in communication rehabilitation after ABI. Access to long-term services is essential, both in rural and remote locations.

The Effectiveness and Characteristics of Communication Partner Training Programs for Families of People With Dementia: A Systematic Review.

Background And Objectives: Communication partner training (CPT) is essential in dementia care. Despite families being the largest group of community carers, previous reviews primarily focused on formal carers. This study aimed to understand the characteristics and effectiveness of CPT for families of people with dementia.

Inclusion of People With Aphasia in Stroke Trials: A Systematic Search and Review.

Background: Although people with aphasia (PwA) represent 30% of stroke survivors, they are frequently excluded from stroke research, or their inclusion is unclear. Such practice significantly limits the generalizability of stroke research, increases the need to duplicate research in aphasia-specific populations, and raises important ethical and human rights issues.

Objective: To detail the extent and nature of inclusion of PwA in contemporary stroke randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

The effects of virtual reality immersion on the content and structure of the narrative discourse of healthy adults.

Background: Narrative discourse is central to effective participation in conversations. When discourse is assessed in people with communication disability, structured tasks (e.g.

Digital Health Interventions for Adults with Acquired Brain Injury and Their Close Others: Implementation, Scalability, and Sustainability in the COVID-19 Context.

The Social Brain Toolkit is a novel suite of web-based interventions to support people with acquired brain injury and their close others with communication difficulties post-injury. The aim of this study was to investigate potential impacts of the Toolkit's wider political, economic, regulatory, professional, and sociocultural context on its implementation, scalability, and sustainability. Nine people with academic, healthcare or industry experience implementing digital health interventions prior to and during COVID-19 were individually interviewed.

Preventing depression in aphasia: A cluster randomized control trial of the Aphasia Action Success Knowledge (ASK) program.

Background: Stroke patients with aphasia and their caregivers have higher incidence of depression than those without aphasia.

Aims: The objective of the study is to determine whether a tailored intervention program (Action Success Knowledge; ASK) led to better mood and quality of life (QoL) outcomes than an attention control with a 12-month end point at cluster and individual participant level.

Methods: A multi-site, pragmatic, two-level single-blind cluster randomized controlled trial compared ASK to an attention control (secondary stroke prevention program).