This study aims to translate and validate the Western Aphasia Battery Test (to be hereon named the WAB-Pinoy or WAB-P), to be adapted for use in the Filipino setting.

Aphasia is one of the more disabling consequences of stroke. Its presence greatly affects a person’s quality of life and undermines their ability to communicate. Currently, there is still no specific bedside tool that is being used in the Philippines for the diagnosis of aphasia.

This is a prospective cohort study which included patients admitted from May 2024 to August 2024 at a tertiary hospital in the Philippines. 200 patients were included and further subdivided into aphasic and non-aphasic groups as per the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores. The WAB-P was then administered in both groups.

Aphasia is present in 20-35% of stroke patients, with anomic aphasia as the most common subtype. The WAB-Pinoy test, in comparison with the NIHSS, has been found to have 75% specificity and 70% sensitivity in diagnosing aphasia, with 74% accuracy. Patients with aphasia by NIHSS are 7 times more likely to exhibit aphasia on the WAB-P as well.

The Filipino version of the WAB (the WAB-Pinoy), has been proven to have internal consistency in diagnosing and classifying the different types of aphasia. It is recommended to further develop this study to check the retest reliability of the WAB-P, which can be used to monitor response to rehabilitation and therapy, therefore improving the quality of post-stroke care.