Patient Centred Communication Intervention (PCCI)

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.

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

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.

The intervention consists of three parts: 1) development of individualized communication care plans; 2) staff attendance at a workshop focused on communication and behavioral management strategies; and 3) implementation of a staff support system.

The SAQOL is a 39-item tool designed to measure health-related quality of life in patients post-stroke with aphasia.

The Communication Impairment Questionnaire is an 8-item self-report scale. It is used to measure the attitudes of nurses toward patients with communication impairments.

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

McGilton KS, Sorin-Peters R, Sidani S, Boscart V, Fox M, Rochon E. Patient-centred communication intervention study to evaluate nurse-patient interactions in complex continuing care. BMC Geriatr. 2012 Oct 11;12:61. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-12-61.