Feasibility and Burden of Lay Caregivers Providing Daily Massages to Patients With Cancer Receiving Hospice and Palliative Care.
Karen Moosvi, Tasha M Schoppee, Stacy Xavier and 4 others
PMID 35613662WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver strain scores stayed similar among caregivers who completed the massage training, but 24 of 63 dyads dropped out and three did not give daily massages.
Key findings
01All 39 caregivers who completed the study finished the massage training and were judged sufficiently proficient to give the effleurage massage.
02Three dyads did not provide the daily massages; other caregivers documented an average of 2.8 ± 1.6 massages (median 3, range 0-7) after the two training sessions.
03For completing caregivers, mean caregiver strain subscale scores were similar before and after the massage period and did not differ statistically.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
High attrition: 24 of 63 dyads did not complete, typically because the patient's health declined, so the findings mainly reflect caregivers who stayed in the study. The study lasted only one week, so it did not show whether caregiver strain would increase if daily massages continued longer. All completing caregivers received the same massage training and massage period, so the study could not compare massage with usual care alone. The study focused on caregiver proficiency, strain, and feedback; it did not measure patient symptom outcomes. Many caregivers were novice, and relationship quality, social support, and self-efficacy were not measured. Some caregivers found the activity log or tablet burdensome, so study procedures may have added strain.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that caregiver massage improves patient symptoms or is burden-free long term. The study measured caregiver proficiency, strain, and feedback over one week, not patient symptom outcomes, and 24 of 63 dyads did not complete.