i-MEC fr

The Research Center of the Montreal University Institute of Geriatrics (CRIUGM) offers the "Pocket" version of the Montreal Protocol for Communication Assessment, in a smart app format, designed to establish a preliminary communication profile of oral and written communication disorders in adults with right-sided brain damage.
The use and interpretation of i-MEC fr data is strictly reserved for professionals trained in the assessment and intervention of individuals suffering from acquired neurological disorders. We suggest that individuals without specific training consult healthcare professionals (speech therapists, neuropsychologists, physicians) for information.
During the acute phase of care, individuals are often very fatigued and subject to numerous other functional assessments. Therapists lack the time to screen for all aspects of communication. The physical constraints and the clinical reality specific to this setting call for equipment that is fast and easy to use. Through a brief description of oral and written language disorders, the i-MEC fr app allows clinicians specializing in communication assessment to guide their assessment and intervention. In 30 minutes, i-MEC fr indicates the components that appear to be affected and for which further investigation is recommended.

i-MEC fr therefore offers a preliminary examination of the prosodic, lexical-semantic, discursive, and pragmatic dimensions of oral language, as well as screening for reading and writing skills.

The i-MEC fr app includes 10 tests:
- a disorder screening form
- a disorder awareness questionnaire
- a conversational discourse observation grid
- a metaphor interpretation task
- a free lexical evocation task
- a semantic judgment task
- a narrative discourse recall task
- an indirect speech act interpretation task
- a reading task
- a writing task

Although i-MEC fr is primarily intended for the assessment of right-brained individuals, it is also useful for anyone with an acquired verbal communication disorder, such as individuals with left-brain injury, traumatic brain injury, or dementia.
The app format offers great usability, thanks to its intuitive design and a "flip" function to present visual stimuli to the patient without interrupting the test. It offers the ability to record portions of the assessment for later scoring. The application also offers automatic calculation of the z-score and the alert point to immediately assess the individual's performance relative to their age and educational level. The hyperlinked practical guides allow for quick familiarization with the tool.

All tasks were standardized using control participants. Establishing an alert point allows the speech-language pathologist to compare the results of the individual being assessed with those of the control population.