Feasibility of delivering TeleCHAT: A comprehensive high-dose aphasia treatment via telerehabilitation

ObjectiveTo evaluate the feasibility of delivering 50 h of comprehensive, high-dose aphasia treatment via telerehabilitation (TeleCHAT) to people with aphasia and their support people.DesignA non-randomised one-armed quasi-experimental pre-post feasibility study.SettingTeleCHAT was delivered from dedicated tele-suites in university spaces within a tertiary hospital. Participants received therapy in their homes via telerehabilitation using a configured telerehabilitation system which used videoconferencing software Zoom^®.ParticipantsThree cohorts of people with aphasia (<i>n</i> = 12), support people (<i>n</i> = 11), and speech-language pathologists (<i>n</i> = 2) participated.InterventionParticipants completed technology training, goal setting, and clinical treatment planning prior to the intervention. The TeleCHAT intervention included 50 h of goal-directed aphasia therapy, delivered 3-5 days per week over 8 weeks.Main measuresMixed-methods data was collected on participant demographics, aphasia profiles, achievement of dose, comprehensiveness of therapy, and support people participation.ResultsA diverse group of people with aphasia completed TeleCHAT. Nine participants received the intended dose of 50 h, with the remaining three closely approaching dose. A high proportion of sessions were spent actively engaged in therapeutic tasks (94-100%). A comprehensive array of 42 therapy activities was delivered and tailored to goals across the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework. All participants had a support person participate actively in at least one session.ConclusionsIt was feasible to deliver the core components of the TeleCHAT programme via telerehabilitation. As intended, a heterogeneous group of people with aphasia received a high-dose of tailored, comprehensive aphasia therapy, with the active participation of support people.