Adapting the telephone assessment and skill-building kit to the telehealth technology preferences of stroke family caregivers.
Tamilyn Bakas, Michael J McCarthy, Jahmeel Israel and 5 others
PMID 33075163WHAT IT FOUND
Stroke family caregivers rated telephone calls with the nurse highest among technologies.
Preferences varied: some wanted paper, others the website, eBook, or USB drive.
Key findings
01Telephone calls with the nurse received the highest ratings among the technologies evaluated.
02The interactive website received the highest ratings for accessing the TASK III Resource Guide.
03Caregiver technology ability and preferences varied; some preferred the mailed hard copy binder, while others liked the website, eBook, or USB drive.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The studies were small, with 12 caregivers in the first study and 10 in the second, and only 8 returned rating forms in the second study. Some caregivers did not rate all technologies, and some technologies were not evaluated, including the app and Facebook in the second study. Participants were mostly well-educated Black and White caregivers from the Midwest, so preferences may not apply to other racial, ethnic, or geographic groups. None of the caregivers had actually used the TASK III program, so these are preferences about proposed formats rather than experience of the intervention. The findings are about preferences and ratings before implementation, not about tested patient outcomes. Time since discharge varied widely, from 3 days to 17 years, so caregivers' needs may have differed a lot.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not report a funding source.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that telehealth delivery of the TASK III program improves caregiver outcomes. The caregivers did not receive the program, and the study asked about preferences and ratings for proposed technologies.