Stakeholder opinion of functional communication activities following traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To establish a process whereby assessment of functional communication reflects the authentic communication of the target population. The major functional communication assessments available from the USA may not be as relevant to those who reside elsewhere, nor assessments developed primarily for persons who have had a stroke as relevant for traumatic brain injury rehabilitation.


METHODS
The investigation used the Nominal Group Technique to elicit free opinion and support individuals who have compromised communication ability. A survey mailed out sampled a larger number of stakeholders to test out differences among groups.


METHODS
Five stakeholder groups generated items and the survey determined relative 'importance'. The stakeholder groups in both studies comprised individuals with traumatic brain injury and their families, health professionals, third-party payers, employers, and Maori, the indigenous population of New Zealand.


RESULTS
There was no statistically significant difference found between groups for 19 of the 31 items. Only half of the items explicitly appear on a well-known USA functional communication assessment.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study has implications for whether functional communication assessments are valid across cultures and the type of impairment.
Larkins
B M
BM
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. brigette@chch.planet.org.nz
Worrall
L E
LE
Hickson
L M
LM
D001294:Attitude to Health; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004651:Employment; D005190:Family; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009520:New Zealand / Q000208:ethnology