Caregiver Strain and Heart Failure Patient Clinical Event Risk: An Extension of Previous Work.

This was a secondary analysis of 92 dyads, not a new trial designed to test caregiver strain as a cause of events. The study could not control for all known predictors of heart failure events because the sample was small. The confidence interval for the high-strain association was wide, so the estimate was uncertain. Events were self-reported, although medical record verification was done for re-hospitalizations at the index institution. People with New York Heart Association class IV heart failure were excluded, so the results do not apply to advanced heart failure. Most caregivers were women, and the patients and caregivers were relatively young and healthy, so the results may not apply to other caregiver groups. Caregiver strain was grouped into tertiles, and the scale used was not explicitly described as a strain measure by its developers. The finding contrasts with other heart failure studies, and the Italian study used a different strain instrument.

The supplied text does not include a conflicts-of-interest declaration. The publication types list NIH extramural research support.

Do not conclude that high caregiver strain protects heart failure patients or that strain should be reduced to prevent events. The association was found in 92 dyads, the confidence interval was wide, moderate strain was not significant, and the study did not test whether changing strain changes outcomes.