Experiences of people with aphasia communicating with healthcare providers

<p>Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder, often resulting from a stroke, that impacts millions of Americans. People with aphasia (PWA) may frequent the hospital for a number of services poststroke and are often accompanied by their primary communication partners (PCP), the person with whom the PWA communicates with the most. This qualitative study explored the experiences of four dyads of PWA and their PCPs’ perspectives on communicating with healthcare providers (HCPs). Findings indicated that there are attributes of HCP interactions which contribute to patient-perceived success, such as collaboration with PCPs, and aphasia knowledge. These attributes were also associated with patient-centered care. In addition, dyads spoke about the importance of their PWA-PCP teamwork in approaching HCP interactions, with PCP advocacy, background, and flexibility contributing to successful teamwork. This study suggests that areas in which participants were dissatisfied with HCP services may be remedied by communication partner training for HCPs and PCPs.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (MA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Special Education and Communication Sciences and Disorders

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Bull, Madelaine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sarah M. Ginsberg, Ed.D.
• Naomi Hashimoto, Ph.D.
• Katie Ann Strong, Ph.D.

• aphasia
• communication partner training
• healthcare
• partners
• patient-centered care
• people with aphasia
• Speech Pathology and Audiology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1112

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2476