Exploring the communication experiences of stroke nurses and patients with aphasia in an acute stroke unit

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the perceptions of stroke nurses and patients with aphasia on their experiences of communicating in an acute stroke hospital unit. Method Five stroke nurses and six patients with aphasia participated in this study. The nurses participated in a focus group and the patients participated in one-on-one interviews. The focus group and interviews were semi-structured and elicited information from participants about potential facilitators and barriers to successful communication in the acute unit. The focus group and interviews were recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Results Analysis of the interview transcripts generated five key themes. Theme one, two and three represented perspectives of both nurses and patients with aphasia. Theme four was represented by patients only and theme by nurses only. Themes reflected: (1) the frustration experienced by nurses and patients with aphasia when communicating; (2) the perceptions of nurses and patients with aphasia on the use of communication supports; (3) the beliefs on what healthcare information needs to be shared between nurses and patients with aphasia; (4) the excellent care provided by nurses to patients with aphasia; and (5) the positive attitude of nurses when communicating with people with aphasia. Conclusions Stroke nurses and patients with aphasia experience difficulty communicating. These findings suggest that specific strategies, such as tailored Communication Partner Training (CPT) for nurses and centralised nurse access to a range of communication aids and resources, might contribute to the formation of a more communicatively accessible acute hospital environment for patients with aphasia.