One call makes a difference: An evaluation of the Alzheimer's Association National Helpline on dementia caregiver outcomes.
Nancy A Hodgson, Darina V Petrovsky, Kerry Finegan and 3 others
PMID 33004235WHAT IT FOUND
The extra follow-up call did not improve caregiver health outcomes compared with one call.
Across callers, self-reported ability to manage emotions improved at one week, 70% put action steps in place, and 65% accessed support services.
Key findings
01The extra follow-up call did not improve PROMIS physical or mental health outcomes compared with the single initial care consultation.
02Self-efficacy for managing emotions improved by 0.11 points at one week, but the change was not significant at one month.
03At one week, 70% of callers had put action steps in place, and 65% reported accessing additional dementia support services.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 50% of the 445 callers completed the one-week survey, and 40% completed the one-month survey. Younger caregivers were less likely to complete follow-up, so the results may not represent all caregivers. There was no no-call control group; all callers had already received the initial consultation before randomization. Outcomes were self-reported, and the authors note some caregivers may have given socially desirable answers if they thought their feedback was linked to the Helpline. Care consultation delivery varied in style, although 20% of calls had fidelity checks. Follow-up was short, so long-term benefits were not established.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include a conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication metadata lists NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the Helpline works better than no support. Every caller in the analysis already received the initial care consultation, and the randomization only compared that with an extra follow-up call.