Charalambous Marina, Phylactou Phivos, Serafim Marios, Vlotinou Pinelopi, Georgiou Anastasios M, Pampoulou Eliada, Papaioannou Maria, Georgiou Fotini, Palazis Lakis
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Cyprus University of Technology, Limassol, Cyprus.
School of Physical Therapy, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.
Int J Lang Commun Disord. 2025 Jul-Aug;60(4):e70089. doi: 10.1111/1460-6984.70089.
Aphasia, a communication disorder mainly resulting from stroke, poses challenges to the meaningful interactions between healthcare professionals and people with aphasia (PWA). Little is known about the knowledge and skills of Cypriot healthcare professionals when interacting with PWA in clinical settings. This study explores the knowledge and skills of Cypriot healthcare professionals in communicating with PWA.
A total of 245 Greek-speaking Cypriot healthcare professionals completed the Greek version of the Health Professionals and Aphasia Questionnaire (HPAQ). Participants' knowledge and skills were assessed in five categories: Knowledge, Skills, Behaviour and Emotions, Practice, and Environment. Demographic data were analysed through linear regression and ANOVA to identify predictors of HPAQ scores.
Participants' mean HPAQ score was 94.57 (SD = 28.1). Higher educational levels (master's degree) and the Speech and Language Therapy profession significantly predicted higher HPAQ scores. Moderate frequency of interaction with PWA (1-20 times/week) was also associated with improved knowledge of aphasia and better communication skills when interacting with PWA.
Speech and Language Therapists exhibited higher competency in interacting with PWA compared to other healthcare professionals, highlighting their specialised training. The findings emphasise the importance of education, experience, and interaction frequency in enhancing healthcare professionals' ability to communicate effectively with PWA in clinical settings. To address identified gaps, targeted interventions, such as Communication Partner Training, are recommended to improve communication strategies and patient outcomes in Cypriot healthcare settings.
What is already known on this subject Aphasia, which affects 40% of stroke survivors in the acute phase, profoundly impacts communication abilities, leading to longer hospital stays, increased healthcare needs, and higher rates of disability. Many healthcare professionals lack the training, strategies, and resources required to effectively communicate with people with aphasia (PWA), limiting PWA's participation in decision-making and negatively impacting the quality of care. In Cyprus, there is an urgent need to evaluate and enhance healthcare professionals' competencies in supporting PWA, highlighting the importance of communication training programs in improving care quality and patient outcomes. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge This research highlights the critical need for accessible training programs at all educational levels to ensure equitable standards of stroke care in Cyprus. Moderate interaction with PWA plays a pivotal role in improving healthcare professionals' communication skills, emphasising the importance of balanced and sustainable contact opportunities that foster professional development while minimising the risk of burnout. The findings also reveal that professional experience alone does not enhance communication outcomes unless accompanied by purposeful training and meaningful interaction with PWA. The study underscores the need for targeted communication training for healthcare professionals to improve interdisciplinary collaboration and patient care outcomes. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? The clinical implications are as follows (a) there is a critical need to implement Communication Partner Training programs in Cypriot healthcare settings to address knowledge and skills gaps among non-speech language therapy (SLT) healthcare professionals; (b) communication training programs can create more inclusive clinical environments, enabling PWA to actively participate in healthcare decisions and rehabilitation planning; (c) training interventions should be tailored to different professional groups and educational levels, with introductory-level modules for non-SLT professionals and advanced modules for SLTs; (d) communication training has the potential to improve the quality of care, patient satisfaction, and rehabilitation outcomes for PWA; (e) these actions will provide a basis for developing scalable and targeted communication training solutions to meet diverse healthcare needs in Cyprus.
失语症是一种主要由中风导致的沟通障碍，对医疗保健专业人员与失语症患者（PWA）之间有意义的互动构成挑战。对于塞浦路斯医疗保健专业人员在临床环境中与PWA互动时的知识和技能了解甚少。本研究探讨塞浦路斯医疗保健专业人员与PWA沟通时的知识和技能。
共有245名讲希腊语的塞浦路斯医疗保健专业人员完成了希腊版的《医疗保健专业人员与失语症问卷》（HPAQ）。从知识、技能、行为与情绪、实践和环境五个类别评估参与者的知识和技能。通过线性回归和方差分析对人口统计学数据进行分析，以确定HPAQ分数的预测因素。
参与者的HPAQ平均得分为94.57（标准差 = 28.1）。更高的教育水平（硕士学位）和言语与语言治疗专业显著预测了更高的HPAQ分数。与PWA的中等互动频率（每周1 - 20次）也与对失语症的更好了解以及与PWA互动时更好的沟通技能相关。
与其他医疗保健专业人员相比，言语与语言治疗师在与PWA互动方面表现出更高的能力，凸显了他们的专业培训。研究结果强调了教育、经验和互动频率在提高医疗保健专业人员在临床环境中与PWA有效沟通能力方面的重要性。为解决已发现的差距，建议采取针对性干预措施，如沟通伙伴培训，以改善塞浦路斯医疗保健环境中的沟通策略和患者预后。
关于该主题的已知信息 失语症影响急性期40%的中风幸存者，对沟通能力有深远影响，导致住院时间延长、医疗保健需求增加和残疾率上升。许多医疗保健专业人员缺乏与失语症患者（PWA）有效沟通所需的培训、策略和资源，限制了PWA参与决策，并对护理质量产生负面影响。在塞浦路斯，迫切需要评估和提高医疗保健专业人员支持PWA的能力，凸显了沟通培训项目对提高护理质量和患者预后的重要性。本文对现有知识的补充 本研究强调在各级教育中都迫切需要提供可获取的培训项目，以确保塞浦路斯中风护理的公平标准。与PWA的适度互动在提高医疗保健专业人员的沟通技能方面起着关键作用，强调了平衡和可持续的接触机会的重要性——既能促进专业发展，又能将倦怠风险降至最低。研究结果还表明，仅靠专业经验并不能提高沟通效果，除非伴有有目的的培训以及与PWA的有意义互动。该研究强调需要为医疗保健专业人员提供针对性的沟通培训，以改善跨学科协作和患者护理结果。这项工作的潜在或实际临床意义是什么？临床意义如下：（a）迫切需要在塞浦路斯医疗保健环境中实施沟通伙伴培训项目，以解决非言语语言治疗（SLT）医疗保健专业人员的知识和技能差距；（b）沟通培训项目可以营造更具包容性的临床环境，使PWA能够积极参与医疗保健决策和康复计划；（c）培训干预应针对不同专业群体和教育水平进行定制，为非SLT专业人员提供入门级模块，为SLT人员提供高级模块；（d）沟通培训有可能提高PWA的护理质量、患者满意度和康复结果；（e）这些行动将为开发可扩展的针对性沟通培训解决方案提供基础，以满足塞浦路斯多样化的医疗保健需求。
