Screening by nurses for aphasia in stroke- the Ullevaal Aphasia Screening (UAS) test

PURPOSE: In Norway, the speech therapist is responsible for the assessment of language impairment after stroke, but many hospitals have no speech therapist. This study therefore developed and evaluated a simple method to be used by nurses to detect aphasia in the acute stage of stroke; the Ullevaal Aphasia Screening (UAS) test. METHOD: The study was carried out among 37 stroke patients admitted to an acute stroke unit. They were assessed by nurses using the UAS, while the results of a comprehensive assessment by a speech therapist acted as the 'gold standard'. RESULTS: The predictive value of a positive test was 0.67 and that of a negative test 0.93; only two out of 28 who screened negative on the UAS were diagnosed with mild aphasia by the speech therapist. The weighted kappa coefficient of agreement was 0.83, indicating a strong agreement between the nurses' and speech therapists' scoring. The screening took 5-15 minutes to complete. CONCLUSION: The Ullevaal Aphasia screening test seems to be a short and valid screening instrument for aphasia in the acute stage of stroke, but further studies would be needed to substantiate the efficacy of the UAS test.