Rompiendo la barrera comunicativa mediante el uso de nuevas tecnologías en pacientes afásicos tras un ictus

Objectives

To improve language in aphasic patients after a recent ischaemic stroke using computer applications for mobile devices (tablet) for 30 days and to establish whether length of use influences this improvement.

Method

Randomised, prospective, single-centre clinical trial with two intervention groups, one of which was a control group. Aphasic patients were included within a maximum of 7 days after an ischaemic stroke. The intervention group used tablet-specific software for 30 days. Language improvement was assessed using the Mississippi Aphasia Screening Test (MAST).

Results

The sample was 40 patients, mean age 73 years (± 10.2). Fifty percent were women. Patients were equally divided between the 2 groups. Mean device use was 311.8 (± 334.6) minutes after the end of 30 days, with a final mean improvement in MAST of 46.5 (± 22.3) points in the intervention group and 34.8 (± 21.7) in the control group (P = .233). Adjusting for age, the results indicate that the patients who tend to improve the most are those under 65 years of age (43.8 [± 30.5] points, P = .205). We were unable to demonstrate significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusions

The results obtained in the study suggest that new technologies can be an effective tool for language recovery, especially in young patients. Multicentre studies with a larger sample size and younger patients may be able to demonstrate the usefulness of this new tool.