Improving the early detection of aphasia in the acute phase of stroke: the contribution of a screening test.

Background: Aphasia is one of the most common and most debilitating after-effects of a stroke. In the acute phase of a stroke, referrals to speech-language pathology (SLP) are frequently guided by clinical impressions rather than validated tests.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the advantages of incorporating the Screening test for language disorders in adults and the elderly (DTLA) into clinical practice for detecting language disorders during the acute phase of stroke.

Methods: The study includes a retrospective and a prospective component, including a questionnaire on the acceptability, feasibility and usefulness of using the DTLA in patients in the acute phase of stroke.

Results: Sixty-one patients admitted for stroke were recruited for each of the two components. The introduction of the DTLA in the prospective component of the study had a significant impact on the detection of language impairment, as more notes about language were found in patients' medical records and more referrals were made to SLP.

Conclusions: Using a screening test can improve the detection of aphasia during the acute phase of stroke, particularly in patients whose impairments might not be easily identified through subjective assessments.