Esta página se tradujo automáticamente y no se garantiza la precisión de la traducción. por favor refiérase a versión inglesa para un texto fuente.

Cross-cultural Adaptation and Multicenter Validation of the Italian Versions of the Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia (BERA) and SWallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness (SWADOC)

14 de julio de 2026 actualizado por: Alfonso Magliacano

Adattamento Trans-culturale e Validazione Multicentrica Della Versione Italiana Delle Scale Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia (BERA) e SWallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness (SWADOC)

Patients with severe acquired brain injury may evolve from coma into prolonged disorders of consciousness. In these patients, residual language comprehension and swallowing abilities are difficult to evaluate because standard assessments often depend on verbal or motor responses. The Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia (BERA) assesses receptive language abilities through visual/eye-movement responses, whereas the SWallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness (SWADOC) assesses oral and pharyngeal components of swallowing in patients with disorders of consciousness. This national multicenter observational study aims to perform the Italian cross-cultural adaptation and validation of BERA and SWADOC. Consecutive adult inpatients with severe acquired brain injury and disorders of consciousness will be recruited from four Italian centers. SWADOC will be administered to 57 patients, and BERA will be administered to a nested subgroup of 22 patients who meet additional criteria. Inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability over 24 hours, and convergent validity with Coma Recovery Scale-Revised scores will be analyzed.

Descripción general del estudio

Descripción detallada

This study is part of the Horizon MSCA DoC-Box project, which aims to develop a multimodal toolbox to support fast and reliable diagnosis of disorders of consciousness. The study includes two consecutive phases. In Phase 1, the original French versions of BERA and SWADOC will be translated into Italian by two expert translators. The translated versions will be synthesized, back-translated into the original language by two independent blinded translators, compared, discussed, and revised by researchers and experts according to international guidelines for translation and cultural adaptation. In Phase 2, the Italian versions will be evaluated in a multicenter observational validation study involving three Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi centers (Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, Florence, Milan) and the IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta in Milan. After diagnostic confirmation based on repeated CRS-R assessments, Examiner A will administer the SECONDs to assess the level of consciousness. On the same day, Examiner B will administer the Italian BERA and/or SWADOC, while Examiner C will independently score the scales to assess inter-rater agreement. After approximately 24 hours, Examiner A will repeat the SECONDs, and either Examiner B or Examiner C will repeat BERA and/or SWADOC to assess test-retest reliability. Demographic and clinical variables, level of consciousness, total scores, and subscale scores will be entered in a centralized pseudonymized REDCap database and analyzed in aggregate form.

Tipo de estudio

De observación

Inscripción (Estimado)

79

Contactos y Ubicaciones

Esta sección proporciona los datos de contacto de quienes realizan el estudio e información sobre dónde se lleva a cabo este estudio.

Estudio Contacto

Copia de seguridad de contactos de estudio

Ubicaciones de estudio

      • Florence, Italia
        • IRCCS Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi
        • Contacto:
      • Milan, Italia
      • Milan, Italia
        • IRCCS SM Nascente Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi
        • Contacto:
    • AV
      • Sant'Angelo dei Lombardi, AV, Italia, 83054
        • Polo Specialistico Riabilitativo Fondazione Don Gnocchi
        • Contacto:

Criterios de participación

Los investigadores buscan personas que se ajusten a una determinada descripción, denominada criterio de elegibilidad. Algunos ejemplos de estos criterios son el estado de salud general de una persona o tratamientos previos.

Criterio de elegibilidad

Edades elegibles para estudiar

  • Adulto
  • Adulto Mayor

Acepta Voluntarios Saludables

No

Método de muestreo

Muestra no probabilística

Población de estudio

Adult inpatients with severe acquired brain injury and a stable diagnosis of disorder of consciousness consecutively admitted to the four participating Italian rehabilitation/neurorehabilitation centers and meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Descripción

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age >= 18 years.
  • Native Italian speaker.
  • Diagnosis of severe acquired brain injury.
  • At least 28 days since the acute event.
  • For SWADOC validation: stable clinical diagnosis of disorder of consciousness, including UWS, MCS, or EMCS, assessed with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised repeated at least five times over two weeks.
  • For BERA validation: stable clinical diagnosis of MCS or EMCS assessed with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised repeated at least five times over two weeks.
  • For BERA validation: presence of visual fixation and/or visual pursuit assessed with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised.
  • No remote history of neurological, neurodegenerative, or psychiatric disease; for SWADOC validation, no remote history of otorhinolaryngological disease.
  • Written informed consent provided by the primary caregiver/legal representative according to local regulations.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Occurrence of a second cerebral event between enrollment and data collection.
  • Unstable general clinical condition preventing assessment, including but not limited to need for ventilatory support, severe infection, or status epilepticus.

Plan de estudios

Esta sección proporciona detalles del plan de estudio, incluido cómo está diseñado el estudio y qué mide el estudio.

¿Cómo está diseñado el estudio?

Detalles de diseño

Cohortes e Intervenciones

Grupo / Cohorte
Intervención / Tratamiento
Patients with severe acquired brain injury and disorders of consciousness
Consecutive adult inpatients with severe acquired brain injury and a stable diagnosis of disorder of consciousness admitted to one of the four participating centers and meeting eligibility criteria. All eligible participants will undergo SWADOC validation assessments. A nested subgroup of the first 22 participants who also meet BERA-specific criteria will undergo BERA validation assessments.
Structured clinical assessment of oral and pharyngeal swallowing components in patients with disorders of consciousness. The Italian version will be administered and scored by trained examiners to evaluate inter-rater and test-retest reliability.
Brief clinical assessment of receptive language abilities, including phonology, semantics, and morphosyntax. Responses are based on visual/eye-movement behavior, allowing assessment of patients unable to communicate verbally or through reliable motor responses. It will be administered to the nested subgroup meeting BERA-specific criteria.

¿Qué mide el estudio?

Medidas de resultado primarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Inter-rater reliability of the Italian Swallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness total score
Periodo de tiempo: Day 1, during the first assessment session
Inter-rater reliability will be assessed for the total score of the Italian version of the Swallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness. The SWADOC total score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating better preserved swallowing abilities. The reported outcome will be the intraclass correlation coefficient for agreement between independent raters. The intraclass correlation coefficient is a unitless reliability coefficient ranging from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater inter-rater reliability. The SWADOC quantitative scoring system includes 8 scored items rated from 0 to 3, allowing calculation of oral and pharyngeal subscores and a total score.
Day 1, during the first assessment session
Test-retest reliability of the Italian Swallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness total score
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline and approximately 24 hours later
Test-retest reliability will be assessed for the total score of the Italian version of the Swallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness. The SWADOC total score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating better preserved swallowing abilities. The reported outcome will be the intraclass correlation coefficient between the baseline assessment and the reassessment performed approximately 24 hours later. The intraclass correlation coefficient is a unitless reliability coefficient ranging from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater test-retest reliability.
Baseline and approximately 24 hours later
Inter-rater reliability of the Italian Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia total score
Periodo de tiempo: Day 1, during the first assessment session
Inter-rater reliability will be assessed for the total score of the Italian version of the Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia in the eligible subgroup of patients. The BERA total score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better receptive language abilities. The reported outcome will be the intraclass correlation coefficient for agreement between independent raters. The intraclass correlation coefficient is a unitless reliability coefficient ranging from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater inter-rater reliability. The BERA includes 30 items per version, with 10 phonological, 10 semantic, and 10 morphosyntactic items; each correct visual fixation response is scored as 1 point and errors or absent fixation as 0 points.
Day 1, during the first assessment session
Test-retest reliability of the Italian Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia total score
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline and approximately 24 hours later
Test-retest reliability will be assessed for the total score of the Italian version of the Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia in the eligible subgroup of patients. The BERA total score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better receptive language abilities. The reported outcome will be the intraclass correlation coefficient between the baseline assessment and the reassessment performed approximately 24 hours later. The intraclass correlation coefficient is a unitless reliability coefficient ranging from 0 to 1, with higher values indicating greater test-retest reliability.
Baseline and approximately 24 hours later

Medidas de resultado secundarias

Medida de resultado
Medida Descripción
Periodo de tiempo
Convergent validity of the Italian Swallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness total score with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised total score
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline/Day 1
Convergent validity will be assessed by calculating the Spearman rank correlation coefficient between the total score of the Italian version of the Swallowing Assessment in Disorders of Consciousness and the total score of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. The SWADOC total score ranges from 0 to 24, with higher scores indicating better preserved swallowing abilities. The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised total score ranges from 0 to 23, with higher scores indicating a higher level of consciousness. The reported outcome will be Spearman's rho, a unitless correlation coefficient ranging from -1 to +1.
Baseline/Day 1
Convergent validity of the Italian Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia total score with the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised total score
Periodo de tiempo: Baseline/Day 1
Convergent validity will be assessed by calculating the Spearman rank correlation coefficient between the total score of the Italian version of the Brief Evaluation of Receptive Aphasia and the total score of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised. The BERA total score ranges from 0 to 30, with higher scores indicating better receptive language abilities. The Coma Recovery Scale-Revised total score ranges from 0 to 23, with higher scores indicating a higher level of consciousness. The reported outcome will be Spearman's rho, a unitless correlation coefficient ranging from -1 to +1.
Baseline/Day 1

Colaboradores e Investigadores

Aquí es donde encontrará personas y organizaciones involucradas en este estudio.

Patrocinador

Investigadores

  • Investigador principal: Alfonso Magliacano, PhD, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi

Fechas de registro del estudio

Estas fechas rastrean el progreso del registro del estudio y los envíos de resultados resumidos a ClinicalTrials.gov. Los registros del estudio y los resultados informados son revisados ​​por la Biblioteca Nacional de Medicina (NLM) para asegurarse de que cumplan con los estándares de control de calidad específicos antes de publicarlos en el sitio web público.

Fechas importantes del estudio

Inicio del estudio (Estimado)

1 de septiembre de 2026

Finalización primaria (Estimado)

31 de agosto de 2028

Finalización del estudio (Estimado)

31 de agosto de 2028

Fechas de registro del estudio

Enviado por primera vez

9 de julio de 2026

Primero enviado que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

14 de julio de 2026

Publicado por primera vez (Actual)

17 de julio de 2026

Actualizaciones de registros de estudio

Última actualización publicada (Actual)

17 de julio de 2026

Última actualización enviada que cumplió con los criterios de control de calidad

14 de julio de 2026

Última verificación

1 de julio de 2026

Más información

Términos relacionados con este estudio

Plan de datos de participantes individuales (IPD)

¿Planea compartir datos de participantes individuales (IPD)?

INDECISO

Información sobre medicamentos y dispositivos, documentos del estudio

Estudia un producto farmacéutico regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Estudia un producto de dispositivo regulado por la FDA de EE. UU.

No

Esta información se obtuvo directamente del sitio web clinicaltrials.gov sin cambios. Si tiene alguna solicitud para cambiar, eliminar o actualizar los detalles de su estudio, comuníquese con register@clinicaltrials.gov. Tan pronto como se implemente un cambio en clinicaltrials.gov, también se actualizará automáticamente en nuestro sitio web. .

Suscribir