While in the past the focus of speech pathologists working in the acute hospital setting has been service provision to people with communication disorders and their families, their primary role is now in dysphagia. In the limited literature regarding aphasia management in acute hospital settings, there is a lack of consistency regarding the type and amount of intervention being provided to people with aphasia; however, there is consensus that current practice is inconsistent with bestpractice recommendations. Given that aphasia intervention has been identified as being central to improved communicative outcomes, an increased capacity to effectively communicate healthcare needs, a decrease in hospital negative events, and an increased sense of satisfaction for people with aphasia, this is of concern. Little is known about the reasons underlying this evidence-practice gap.The overall aim of this thesis was to provide an understanding of current acute aphasia management practice and the factors that influence it. Specifically, the research aimed to: (a) provide an in-depth understanding of the current aphasia management pathway in the acute hospital setting; (b) explore acute speech-language pathologists' conceptualisation, experiences, and perceptions of post-stroke aphasia management, and provide a greater understanding of the factors that influence their practice; and, (c) understand the factors that influence acute aphasia management from the perspectives of speech pathologists, people with aphasia, and their close others, through a cultural lens.In order to address the research aims, the empirical aspects of this research were conducted in two Phases. Phase One, an interpretative phenomenological investigation, aimed to provide a deep understanding of aphasia management from the perspective of acute speech pathologists. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were undertaken with 15 Australian speech pathologists working with people with aphasia (one of which was later excluded resulting in a total n=14). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analysed using a thematic analysis. Key themes identified included: role perception; competing priorities; the de-prioritisation of aphasia; and, the sense of disempowerment experienced by speech pathologists as a result of their relationship with evidencebased practice for acute aphasia management. In addition, a qualitative content analysis was undertaken to describe the current aphasia management pathway. Grounded within the guiding construct, First contact with the profession, the findings represented the significant diversity in the ii pathways of care for people with aphasia and their families in the acute hospital setting. Overall, analysis revealed the complex, diverse, and multi-faceted nature of the phenomenon.Phase Two was designed based on the findings of Phase One. It examined the culture of acute aphasia management by speech pathologists in depth, through the use of focused ethnography in a single acute stroke unit. Three participant triads...