Patient Centred Communication Intervention (PCCI)

University Health Network, Toronto

Status: Completed

Conditions: Stroke; Aphasia

Treatments: Behavioral: Patient-Centred Communication Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01654029

PCCI 93790

Details and patient eligibility

About

The most frequent consequence of a stroke is a communication impairment. When patients cannot articulate their needs, frustration and agitation are frequent responses, often resulting in poor optimization of post-stroke function. Staff's lack of knowledge of communication strategies exacerbates the problem. A key component of patient-centred care is the ability of staff to communicate in such a way that allows them to understand the patient's needs. Members of our team developed the patient-centred communication intervention (PCCI) targeting registered and unregulated staff caring for complex continuing care (CCC) patients with communication impairments post stroke. The purpose of the study is to examine if the PCCI results in improved patients' quality of life and in improved staff attitudes and skills in caring for patients with communication impairments.

Enrollment: 120 patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Patients:

Inclusion Criteria

• diagnosis of stroke related to cerebral infarct
• presence of a communication impairment
• ability to speak and understand English before the stroke
• ability to consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• global aphasia or severe Wernicke's aphasia

Staff:

Inclusion Criteria

• directly involved in providing care
• employed full or part-time
• ability to consent
• ability to speak and write English
• work with patients who have communication impairments

Exclusion Criteria

• unwilling to provide informed consent

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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120 participants in 2 patient groups

Control group receiving usual care

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual care consists of speech language therapy for some patients. Most care is focused on swallowing assessments.

PCCI Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

The Patient-Centred Communication Intervention consists of 1) development of a communication care plan; 2)a workshop for staff focused on communication and behavioural management strategies,: and 3) implementing a staff support system.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Patient-Centred Communication Intervention