Cognitive-communication therapy due to traumatic brain injury
About the project
The aim of the project is to launch high-quality cognitive-communication therapy in Ukraine for defenders who sustained a traumatic brain injury while performing combat missions.
The project covers cognitive and communication disorders resulting from TBI of varying severity. To scale up and implement the healthcare service, the program provides for training of specialists, supervision of their clinical activities, quality control of the knowledge gained and the effectiveness of the service among the military.
Based on the results of the project, relevant recommendations will be provided to the Ministry of Health to systematize this service and introduce appropriate documentation for quality control.
Project structure:
· A training course by Professor Karol Roth with translation by Oksana Lyalka.
· Discussion of the theoretical material under the guidance of Oksana Lyalka.
· Participants listen to videos of lectures and discussions, and complete control tasks.
· Each participant leads a soldier under the supervision of Oksana Lyalka. Depending on the level of competence and workload, participants manage patients in their department or outside the department.
· The clinical intervention involves filling out the appropriate documentation to collect medical information, establish a diagnosis, and assess the level of cognitive functioning and social engagement before, during, and after the intervention.
· All clinical cases are discussed individually with the project leader and presented during discussions and joint meetings.
· Participants are expected to prepare for the project by preparing the necessary assignments as needed. These tasks must be agreed upon with the project leader.
All participants have a level of education that allows them to perform the functions of a speech and language therapist and work or want to work with military/veterans who have cognitive-communication disorders due to TBI.
All participants must adhere to the code of ethics in this project, and patients must be informed about the purpose and content of the project and sign a consent form.
Terms of reference of the project manager
· Consecutive interpretation of lectures, leading additional lectures and discussions
· Establishing the structure and organization of the project, introducing project rules to maintain a favorable and productive atmosphere, selecting participants, quality control of tasks, creating terms of reference for the assistant
· Creating a structure for documentation, translating and or editing translated documents, organizing training material for project participants
· Testing and systematic assessment of patients, conducting interventions as needed, setting or modifying their goals
Terms of reference for project participants/experts
· Training, attending online meetings and watching videos offline
· Performing project tasks (assistance with document administration), performing control tasks, maintaining 1 or more military records, maintaining relevant documentation
· Collection and description of medical information on the patient
· Description of the level of cognitive functioning and setting goals, monitoring and verification of goal achievement
· Conducting clinical interventions, monitoring the effectiveness of interventions
Patients involved in the project during the project should demonstrate an improvement in daily functioning through optimization of communication and cognitive functions involved in communication. The effectiveness of the intervention is measured by determining the index of daily functioning before and after therapy, monitoring the achievement of goals, and general feedback on the effectiveness of the assistance provided at the end of the project by filling out a questionnaire.
The project was launched in 2022, and since August 2023, the cognitive-communication therapy initiative has been implemented by the Ukrainian Society for Speech and Language Therapy and the CF @Patients of Ukraine within the framework of the @War Trauma Rehabilitation project with the support of the @Embassy of Switzerland in Ukraine.
