Phonomotor versus semantic feature analysis treatment for anomia in 58 persons with aphasia : a randomized controlled trial

PURPOSE : The ultimate goal of anomia treatment should be to achieve gains in exemplars trained in the therapy session, as well as generalization to untrained exemplars and contexts. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of phonomotor treatment, a treatment focusing on enhancement of phonological sequence knowledge, against semantic feature analysis (SFA), a lexical-semantic therapy that focuses on enhancement of semantic knowledge and is well known and commonly used to treat anomia in aphasia. METHOD : In a between-groups randomized controlled trial, 58 persons with aphasia characterized by anomia and phonological dysfunction were randomized to receive 56–60 hr of intensively delivered treatment over 6 weeks with testing pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment termination. RESULTS : There was no significant between-groups difference on the primary outcome measure (untrained nouns phonologically and semantically unrelated to each treatment) at 3 months posttreatment. Significant within-group immediately posttreatment acquisition effects for confrontation naming and response latency were observed for both groups. Treatment-specific generalization effects for confrontation naming were observed for both groups immediately and 3 months posttreatment; a significant decrease in response latency was observed at both time points for the SFA group only. Finally, significant within-group differences on the Comprehensive Aphasia Test–Disability Questionnaire (Swinburn, Porter, & Howard, 2004) were observed both immediately and 3 months posttreatment for the SFA group, and significant within-group differences on the Functional Outcome Questionnaire (Glueckauf et al., 2003) were found for both treatment groups 3 months posttreatment. DISCUSSION : Our results are consistent with those of prior studies that have shown that SFA treatment and phonomotor treatment generalize to untrained words that share features (semantic or phonological sequence, respectively) with the training set. However, they show that there is no significant generalization to untrained words that do not share semantic features or phonological sequence features.Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development Merit Review Grant C6572R.https://pubs.asha.org/journal/jslhrhj2020Speech-Language Pathology and Audiolog

Comparable, but distinct: Perceptions of primary care provided by physicians and nurse practitioners in full and restricted practice authority states

AimsTo understand patients- and providers- perceptions of primary care delivered by nurse practitioners (NPs) in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System.DesignQualitative exploratory study (in convergent mixed- methods design).MethodsSemi- structured interviews in 2016 with primary care providers and patients from facilities in states with full and restricted practice authority for NPs. Patient sample based on reassignment to: (a) a NP; or (b) a different physician following an established physician relationship. Data were analysed using content analysis.ResultsWe interviewed 28 patients, 17 physicians and 14 NPs. We found: (a) NPs provided more holistic care than physicians; (b) patients were satisfied with NPs; and (c) providers- professional experience outweighed provider type.ConclusionsPatients- preferences for NPs (compared with prior physicians) contributed to perceptions of patient centredness. Similarities in providers- perceptions suggest NPs and physicians are both viable providers for primary care.ImpactNurse Practitioners (NPs): practice authorityVeterans Affairs Health care: nurse practitioners will continue to be a viable resource for primary care deliveryUnited States Health care: challenges notions patients may not be satisfied with care provided by NPs and supports expanding their use to provide much- needed access to primary care services; expanding Full Practice Authority would allow states to provide acceptable primary care without diminishing patient or provider experiencesæ è¦ ç ®æ  äº è§£æ £è å å »ç æ ºæ 对é ä¼ å äººå »ç ä¿ å ¥ç³»ç» ä¸­æ ¤ç å¸ æ ä¾ å çº§æ ¤ç ç ç æ³ ã è®¾è®¡æ ¢ç´¢æ §ç å® æ §ç  ç©¶(æ ¶æ æ··å æ ¹æ³ è®¾è®¡)ã æ ¹æ³ 2016å¹´è¿ è¡ ç å ç» æ å è®¿è° ,é è®¿äº å· å æ ¥æ æ ¤ç å¸ ç å ¨ç§ å é å ¨ç§ æ §ä¸ æ ºæ ç å çº§æ ¤ç æ ä¾ è å æ £è ã é æ °å é æ £è æ ·æ ¬:(a) ä¸ å æ ¤ç å¸ ;æ (b)ç¡®ç« å »ç å ³ç³»ç å ¦ä¸ å å »ç ã é ç ¨å 容å æ æ³ å¯¹æ °æ ®è¿ è¡ å æ ã ç» æ æ 们é è®¿äº 28å æ £è ,17å å »ç å 14å æ ¤ç å¸ ã æ 们å ç °:(a)æ ¤ç å¸ æ¯ å »ç æ ä¾ ç æ ¤ç æ ´å ¨é ¢;(b)æ £è å¯¹æ ¤ç å¸ æ å °æ»¡æ ;(c)å »ç æ ºæ ç ä¸ ä¸ ç» éª ç æ é æ¯ å »ç æ ºæ ç±»å ç æ é æ ´å¤§ã ç» è®ºæ £è å¯¹æ ¤ç å¸ ç å 好(ä¸ ä»¥å ç å »ç ç ¸æ¯ )æ å ©äº å»ºç« ä»¥æ £è ä¸ºä¸­å¿ ç è®¤ç ¥ã æ ä¾ è ç è§ å¿µç±»ä¼¼,表æ æ ¤ç å¸ å å »ç é ½æ ¯å ¯è¡ ç å çº§æ ¤ç æ ä¾ è ã å½±å - ¢æ ¤ç å¸ :æ §ä¸ æ ºæ - ¢é ä¼ å äººå »ç ä¿ å ¥ç³»ç» :æ ¤ç å¸ å° ç»§ç»­ä½ ä¸ºæ ä¾ å çº§æ ¤ç æ å ¡ç å ¯ç ¨èµ æº ã - ¢ç¾ å ½å «ç ä¿ å ¥:æ æ è§ å¿µ æ £è å ¯è ½ä¸ æ»¡æ ç ±æ ¤ç å¸ æ ä¾ ç æ ¤ç ,å ¶ä¼ æ ¯æ æ ©å¤§ä½¿ç ¨è å ´,以æ ä¾ æ ¥é ç å çº§ä¿ å ¥æ å ¡;æ ©å¤§å ¨ç§ æ §ä¸ æ ºæ å° ä½¿å å· è ½å¤ æ ä¾ å ¯æ ¥å ç å çº§ä¿ å ¥æ å ¡,è ä¸ ä¼ å å¼±æ £è æ æ ä¾ è ç ä½ éª ãPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163369/2/jan14501.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163369/1/jan14501_am.pd

Phonomotor Versus Semantic Feature Analysis Treatment for Anomia in 58 Persons with Aphasia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose The ultimate goal of anomia treatment should be to achieve gains in exemplars trained in the therapy session, as well as generalization to untrained exemplars and contexts. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of phonomotor treatment, a treatment focusing on enhancement of phonological sequence knowledge, against semantic feature analysis (SFA), a lexical-semantic therapy that focuses on enhancement of semantic knowledge and is well known and commonly used to treat anomia in aphasia. Method In a between-groups randomized controlled trial, 58 persons with aphasia characterized by anomia and phonological dysfunction were randomized to receive 56–60 hr of intensively delivered treatment over 6 weeks with testing pretreatment, posttreatment, and 3 months posttreatment termination. Results There was no significant between-groups difference on the primary outcome measure (untrained nouns phonologically and semantically unrelated to each treatment) at 3 months posttreatment. Significant within-group immediately posttreatment acquisition effects for confrontation naming and response latency were observed for both groups. Treatment-specific generalization effects for confrontation naming were observed for both groups immediately and 3 months posttreatment; a significant decrease in response latency was observed at both time points for the SFA group only. Finally, significant within-group differences on the Comprehensive Aphasia Test–Disability Questionnaire (Swinburn, Porter, & Howard, 2004) were observed both immediately and 3 months posttreatment for the SFA group, and significant within-group differences on the Functional Outcome Questionnaire (Glueckauf et al., 2003) were found for both treatment groups 3 months posttreatment. Discussion Our results are consistent with those of prior studies that have shown that SFA treatment and phonomotor treatment generalize to untrained words that share features (semantic or phonological sequence, respectively) with the training set. However, they show that there is no significant generalization to untrained words that do not share semantic features or phonological sequence features

Improving the Usability of Written Exposure Therapy for Therapists in the Department of Veterans Affairs Telemental Health: Formative Study Using Qualitative and User-Centered Design Methods

BackgroundUser modifications are common in evidence-based psychosocial interventions (EBPIs) for mental health disorders. Often, EBPIs fit poorly into clinical workflows, require extensive resources, or pose considerable burden to patients and therapists. Implementation science is increasingly researching ways to improve the usability of EBPIs before implementation. A user-centered design can be used to support implementation methods to prioritize user needs and solutions to improve EBPI usability. ObjectiveTrauma-focused EBPIs are a first-line treatment for patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Written exposure therapy (WET) is a brief, trauma-focused EBPI wherein patients handwrite about trauma associated with their PTSD. Initially developed for in-person delivery, WET is increasingly being delivered remotely, and outcomes appear to be equivalent to in-person delivery. However, there are logistical issues in delivering WET via video. In this evaluation, we explored usability issues related to WET telehealth delivery via videoconferencing software and designed a solution for therapist-facing challenges to systematize WET telehealth delivery. MethodsThe Discover, Design and Build, and Test framework guided this formative evaluation and served to inform a larger Virtual Care Quality Enhancement Research Initiative. We used qualitative descriptive methods in the Discover phase to understand the experiences and needs of 2 groups of users providing care within the Department of Veterans Affairs: in-person therapists delivering WET via video because of the COVID-19 pandemic and telehealth therapists who regularly deliver PTSD therapies. We then used user-centered design methods in the Design and Build phase to brainstorm, develop, and iteratively refine potential workflows to address identified usability issues. All procedures were conducted remotely. ResultsIn the Discover phase, both groups had challenges delivering WET and other PTSD therapies via telehealth because of technology issues with videoconferencing software, environmental distractions, and workflow disruptions. Narrative transfer (ie, patients sending handwritten trauma accounts to therapists) was the first target for design solution development as it was deemed most critical to WET delivery. In the Design and Build phase, we identified design constraints and brainstormed solution ideas. This led to the development of 3 solution workflows that were presented to a subgroup of therapist users through cognitive walkthroughs. Meetings with this subgroup allowed workflow refinement to improve narrative transfers. Finally, to facilitate using these workflows, we developed PDF manuals that are being refined in subsequent phases of the implementation project (not mentioned in this paper). ConclusionsThe Discover, Design and Build, and Test framework can be a useful tool for understanding user needs in complex EBPI interventions and designing solutions to user-identified usability issues. Building on this work, an iterative evaluation of the 3 solution workflows and accompanying manuals with therapists and patients is underway as part of a nationwide WET implementation in telehealth settings