Representation of Potential Communication Items in Medical Settings: An Intervention Note

Current augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices require individuals in medical settings to spell, locate symbols or phrases, or use non-verbal communication to express health and personal information to family and medical staff. The purpose of this initial investigation was to examine the type (personal, family, staff, procedural, or health status), form or representation and frequency of items that could be used to represent communication content for people in inpatient rehabilitation settings. Results revealed that potential communication items within the personal or procedural categories were consistently represented in participants' rooms. Information related to medical staff was the least consistently represented and appeared to change frequently. The use of items to support the communication of patients with unmet communication needs is discussed.