Lightning Oral Presentation Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation Conference 2026

Co-production of a digital implementation toolkit to support aphasia practice in stroke services (138956)

Kirstine Shrubsole 1 2 , Jade Dignam 1 2 , Peter Worthy 3 , David Copland 1 2 , Sarah Wallace 1 2 , Emma Power 4 , Annie Hill 1 5 , Pei-Jun Chou 1 , Woon Ki Chew 1 6 , Madhavan (Mady) Mani 1 , Lyndal Pritchard 1 6
  1. Queensland Aphasia Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane
  2. STARS Education and Research Alliance, Metro North Hospital and Health Service, Brisbane
  3. School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  4. Graduate School of Health , University of Technology Sydney, Sydney
  5. Centre for Research Excellence in Aphasia Recovery and Rehabilitation, La Trobe University, Melbourne
  6. School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Background/Aims: Despite high-quality clinical guidelines, substantial evidence-practice gaps contribute to unmet needs for people with aphasia¹. Implementation toolkits packaging practical resources for practice change show promise in healthcare², with a prototype aphasia toolkit demonstrating feasibility, acceptability, and potential to improve clinical practice³. To support scale-up, the toolkit requires refinement and translation into an online platform that meets clinicians’ needs.

Methods: An integrated knowledge translation and human-centred design approach is being used to co-produce an online aphasia implementation toolkit. Recruitment is complete, with 13 speech pathologists sampled to represent diversity in clinical setting, geographic location, and experience. Two of six co-design workshops have been conducted to date (due for completion in June 2026), focusing on idea generation, toolkit review, prototype design, and usability/workflow requirements. Data sources will include workshop recordings, field notes, digital whiteboards, and prototype artefacts. An audit trail of design decisions will be analysed using qualitative content analysis to support iterative refinement.

Results: A stakeholder advisory committee (10 speech pathologists, 3 people with aphasia) is overseeing the project, prioritising usability, workflow integration, and cross-context flexibility. Early findings suggest the co-designed toolkit will centre on guided selection of practice priorities, identification of implementation barriers, matching of barriers to tailored strategies and resources, and tracking of implementation progress. Key design principles used to inform platform development will be presented.

Conclusion: The co-produced digital toolkit is anticipated to integrate evidence-based aphasia recommendations with theory-informed implementation strategies, supporting scalable, context-responsive implementation ready for field testing in stroke services.

  1. Shrubsole, K., Worrall, L., Power, E., & O’Connor, D. A. (2018). Priorities for closing the evidence-practice gaps in poststroke aphasia rehabilitation: A scoping review. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 99(7), 1413–1423.e1424.
  2. Yamada, J., et al. (2015). The effectiveness of toolkits as knowledge translation strategies for integrating evidence into clinical care: A systematic review. 5:e006808.
  3. Shrubsole, K., et al. (2025). Does a champion-led implementation toolkit have the potential to improve aphasia guideline adherence? Results from a feasibility study. International journal of speech-language pathology, 1–16.