Making a voice heard: evaluation of a new service delivery in augmentative and alternative communication through qualitative interviews with people without natural speech.

Objective: Due to communication barriers, people without natural speech who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are rarely interviewed about their healthcare needs, expectations, and experiences. This qualitative interview study aims to investigate how AAC users evaluate a new service delivery (nSD) in AAC care in Germany.

Results: We conducted 8 semi-structured qualitative interviews with 8 AAC users.

"Finding Common Ground" - Impact of a Complex Intervention on Collaboration in Augmentative and Alternative Communication Care of People without Natural Speech.

Purpose: Many care settings are characterized by collaboration between a variety of stakeholders. People without natural speech who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are often strongly dependent on the involved stakeholders and collaboration among them. Since collaboration can be challenged by many barriers, this study examines the impact of a complex intervention on collaboration in AAC care.

Caregiver burden and proxy-reported outcomes of people without natural speech: a cross-sectional survey study.

Objective: To examine interrelations between care-related burden on informal caregivers and their proxy assessments of outcomes in people without natural speech.

Design: A cross-sectional survey.

Setting: Data were collected in January 2019 from a postal survey of informal caregivers of people without natural speech who are insured by a large regional health insurance company in the German federal state of Lower Saxony.

Collaboration between stakeholders involved in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) care of people without natural speech.

Collaboration among health care providers is intended to dissolve boundaries between the sectors of health care systems. The implementation of adequate augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) care of people without natural speech depends highly on collaboration among multiple stakeholders such as speech and language pathologists, teachers, or physicians. This paper examines existing barriers to and facilitators of collaboration from a stakeholder perspective.

Complex intervention in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) care in Germany: a study protocol of an evaluation study with a controlled mixed-methods design.

Introduction: The current practice of service delivery in Germany for people with complex communication needs (CCN) who are in need of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is characterised by diverse problems, including a lack of clarity in the responsibilities of the service providers involved. To address these issues a new service delivery model has been put in place, implemented in three AAC counselling centres for patients with a particular health insurance across Germany. The implementation of a new service delivery model aims to improve individualised service delivery.