Effectiveness of e-share intervention for caregivers of elderly people after stroke: a pragmatic randomized trial.
Francine Melo da Costa, Débora Francisco do Canto, Lisiane Manganelli Girardi Paskulin
PMID 39969036WHAT IT FOUND
The nurse-led caregiver programme did not improve overall caregiving ability or burden compared with usual care.
Both groups improved. The intervention group reported better help with administering medications.
Key findings
01The e-share package, which included an online course, scheduled phone checks, a nurse hotline, an in-hospital instructional visit, and printed plus WhatsApp instructions, did not improve total caregiver ability or total burden versus usual care.
02At 90 days, total caregiver ability scores increased in both groups, and total burden scores decreased in both groups.
03The e-share package group scored higher on helping administer medications as prescribed, and only the e-share package group improved in the disappointment burden domain.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was 58 caregivers, and the study was designed to detect a large difference between groups. The intervention had several components, including an online course, phone checks, a hotline, an instructional visit, and printed plus WhatsApp instructions, so the effect of any single component cannot be separated. Most stroke survivors were recruited from a specialised stroke unit, where caregivers also had support from highly specialised health professionals. Many caregivers had previous caregiving experience, and the authors note this may have reduced the effect of the intervention. Follow-up was 90 days, and the authors note that care experience over a longer period may have made the groups similar. The control group had a higher proportion of children, and the analysis adjusted for kinship. The authors state that one pre-discharge face-to-face session may not have been sufficient.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the better medication-administration score or lower disappointment score as evidence that the programme works overall. The primary caregiver ability outcome and total burden showed no between-group difference, and both groups improved.