From Cochrane systematic review to Evidently Cochrane blog: spreading the word about speech difficulties after stroke

Session: 

Oral session: Knowledge translation and communicating evidence (2)

Date: 

Sunday 16 September 2018 - 14:40 to 14:50

Location: 

Pentland Auditorium

All authors in correct order:

Mitchell C1, Dancer A2
1 The University of Manchester, UK
2 Research Advisor, UK
Presenting author and contact person

Presenting author:

Claire Mitchell

Contact person:

Claire Mitchell
Annette Dancer
Abstract text
Background: Dysarthria, poor speech clarity due to muscle weakness, can be caused by brain injury or stroke and has a devastating psychological impact on those affected. Therefore, we were surprised to discover, when conducting a Cochrane Review of interventions for dysarthria, that there were only five research trials. None of these trials had enough participants involved to provide any definitive results about whether treatment for dysarthria works or not.

Objectives: To raise awareness of the Cochrane Review findings, the impact of dysarthria and the need for more research using blogging.

Methods: To work with one of our research advisors who has been affected by dysarthria after stroke. Using the Evidently Cochrane blog series to raise awareness of the impact of this condition. To highlight this blog, using Twitter and linking to relevant organisations.

Results: Our research advisor turned out to be a talented writer. Our blogger eloquently expressed the impact dysarthria has had on her life writing with humour and honesty. The resulting Evidently Cochrane blog was shared widely on Twitter, by Stroke Association, The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapy and was publicised on Stroke Association’s website. The blog led to an invitation for a joint researcher and stroke survivor presentation at the UK Stroke Forum 2017, to discuss the lack of research into dysarthria and written feedback from delegates showed the impact on the audience. This resulted in a request to write another Evidently Cochrane blog on our work together to carry out dysarthria research.

Conclusions: Writing an Evidently Cochrane blog to spread awareness of both dysarthria and the findings of the review has successfully reached a wide audience of allied health professionals, stroke survivors and those working in stroke.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: A stroke survivor and research speech and language therapist have worked together to share the findings of the Cochrane Review in an accessible way. We interpreted the findings together and the stroke survivor wrote her lived experience of the condition to produce the associated blog. This abstract was prepared together in a collaborative way.

Relevance to patients and consumers: 

It’s as much a psychological barrier as a physical one. Getting involved in the practicalities of speech related research gave me hope for speech improvement and a more positive approach to the future. Understanding why I speak as I do went a long way towards accepting this new and improving, me. Written by Annette, research advisor and patient living with dysarthria (slurred speech) after stroke. The impact of living with dysarthria after stroke is important to people like Annette and the driver to why we wanted to highlight the lack of research and why there should be more.