Do people with aphasia want written stroke and aphasia information? A verbal survey exploring preferences for when and how to provide stroke and aphasia information

PURPOSE: Written health information can be better comprehended by people with aphasia if it is provided in an aphasia-friendly format. However, before pursuing research in the area of text-formatting for people with aphasia, it must be determined whether people with aphasia consider it helpful to receive health information in the written media. This study, therefore, aimed to determine the following: whether people with aphasia consider it important to receive written stroke and aphasia information; when people with aphasia prefer to receive this information; and what their preferences are for health information media.

METHOD: Surveys were administered in a face-to-face interview with 40 adults with aphasia. Participants were purposefully selected using maximum variation sampling for a variety of variables including aphasia severity, reading ability, and time post stroke.

RESULTS: Participants thought it important to receive written information about both stroke and aphasia. They considered it helpful to receive written information at several stages post stroke, particularly from 1 month onwards. The largest proportion (97%) of participants identified 6 months post stroke as the most helpful time to receive this information. Written information was the most preferred media at participants' present time post stroke (M = 39 months; range, 2-178 months). Videos/DVDs were the most preferred media during the 6 months immediately following the stroke.

CONCLUSION: Despite reading and language difficulties, participants considered written information to be important, hence people with aphasia should receive written information about both stroke and aphasia. This information should be easily accessible throughout the continuum of care.