Abstract
Measures of satisfaction following treatment for aphasia have been limited. The challenge
associated with reduced verbal output among many persons with aphasia (PWA) has reportedly
been a key reason measures of treatment satisfaction have been limited. A novel approach
to measure treatment satisfaction is the use of content analysis (CA), which uses
the presence of certain words, themes, or concepts to explore outcomes such as treatment
satisfaction particularly among individuals who generate limited output. CA utilizes
responses and response patterns to assign meaning to client responses. The aim of
this study was to use CA to measure posttreatment satisfaction with a telepractice
approach for aphasia treatment. Seventeen PWA received 12 treatment sessions over
a 6-week period. At the conclusion of the treatment, CA was utilized to explore patient
satisfaction with this treatment approach. The participants reported an overall positive
sentiment for the telepractice approach. Two primary topics emerged which were healthcare
provider and healthcare delivery, where text analysis revealed discussion of these
topics to be centered around being “helpful” and “being effective.” This study demonstrated
that CA can be an effective approach for determining satisfaction with aphasia treatment
particularly among PWA with limited verbal abilities.
Keywords
aphasia - satisfaction - content analysis
