Measuring Aphasia-Related Quality of Life: Efficiency and Cost of Change

Abstract

Purpose: Changes in quality of life (QoL) in persons with aphasia (PWA) has emerged as a key metric of aphasia treatment effectiveness. Several tools have been designed to measure aphasia related QoL and offer the appropriate compensation for communication issues that frequently exclude persons with aphasia (PWA) from participation of such studies. The purpose of this study was to measure post–aphasia treatment change in QoL and calculate the efficiency and cost of QoL change. Method: In this study, we measured change in aphasia-related QoL as a metric of post–aphasia treatment efficiency using the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Quality of Communication Life Scale. We also calculated the associated cost of that change in relationship with the change of aphasia impairment using a sample of PWA who received community-based telerehabilitation. Cost of QoL improvement from the intervention was calculated accounting for differences in age, time post onset, aphasia severity, and aphasia type. Results: PWA that exhibited more severe aphasia impairment experienced larger QoL improvement than those at lower impairment levels. Similarly, the average cost of improvement in QoL was lower for those more severe aphasia. Conclusions: Changes in aphasia-related QoL captures the impact of communication disorders on QoL, and the cost associated with the change. Measurement of aphasia-related QoL will allow clinicians and researchers to measure aphasia treatment outcomes and the cost effectiveness of those treatments using a commonly reported patient outcome—QoL.