Impact of a psychoeducational intervention to improve caregiver knowledge and attitudes toward palliative cancer care.
Brenna Mossman, Lisa Molix, Damian R Murray and 3 others
PMID 40516304WHAT IT FOUND
A short video about palliative care improved family caregivers' knowledge, but did not improve attitudes.
It may help start end-of-life care conversations, not change how caregivers feel about palliative care.
Key findings
01Caregivers who viewed the palliative care video answered 91.8% of knowledge items correctly on average, versus 75.8% for the control group.
02The video did not improve attitudes; mean attitude scores were 34.73 and 34.82 in the two groups.
03The knowledge benefit was particularly strong for caregivers who reported limited baseline palliative care knowledge.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The knowledge and attitude tests were given only after the video, with no pre-test, so the study cannot show how much each person changed. Outcomes were measured shortly after viewing, so it does not show whether caregivers remember the information later. The sample was mostly White, female, and highly educated and recruited online, so it may not represent many caregivers. Participants were close friends or family members, not necessarily current caregivers of someone newly diagnosed with advanced cancer. 22% of participants did not provide instrumental support, and current caregiving intensity was not assessed. Attitudes were already fairly positive overall, which may leave little room for improvement. The study measured caregiver knowledge and attitudes, not patient outcomes or palliative care use. The control group had a higher proportion of patients who received chemotherapy, though a sensitivity analysis adjusted for this.
Declared interests
The authors declared no known competing financial interests or personal relationships.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this video will make families more willing to use palliative care. The study showed improved knowledge only; attitudes did not change.