RPTF

Knowledge of portuguese general population about aphasia 

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Ana Raquel Santos | Brígida Patrício

 

ABSTRACT

Purpose: To verify the knowledge of Portuguese general population about aphasia; to verify if Portuguese general population is aware of the communication strategies that should be used with people with aphasia; and to determine how speech therapists and other professionals can help increasing aphasia awareness in general population.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study with a sample of 120 individuals from Portuguese general population. Data was collected through a questionnaire developed by the author.

Results: The majority of the participants (89,2%) had never heard about aphasia. Furthermore, participants who had heard about aphasia demonstrated a poor knowledge about its characteristics and etiology, but a better knowledge about communicative strategies that can facilitate the communication with people with aphasia.

Conclusion: The great majority of the participants do not know aphasia. Even people who know it have a limited knowledge. This results indicate that is important to increase the awareness of aphasia in Portugal and speech therapists can have a role in this mission. Social media divulgation and awareness campaigns in hospitals and health centers may be effective ways to increase the awareness of aphasia. 

 

KEYWORDS: Aphasia; Speech therapist; Portuguese population; Knowledge about aphasia.