Pain Management Education for Rural Hospice Family Caregivers: A Pilot Study With Embedded Implementation Evaluation.
Lauren T Starr, Karla T Washington, JoAnn Jabbari and 4 others
PMID 37491002WHAT IT FOUND
Rural hospice family caregivers rated a telephone pain-management education program highly acceptable.
Among 15 who completed it, caregiver-rated patient pain improved from 4.7 to 3.3 on a 0 to 10 pain rating.
Key findings
01Caregivers who completed the study reported statistically significant improvement in patient pain from 4.7 to 3.3.
02Caregiver perceptions of patient pain and pain-related distress also improved significantly, from 19.4 to 14.6.
03Caregiver concerns about pain management, self-efficacy, and anxiety did not differ significantly from pre- to post-intervention.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a single-arm pilot without randomization or a control group, so changes cannot be confidently attributed to Ready2Care. Only 15 caregivers completed the study, so outcome estimates are imprecise. Recruitment and retention were poor: 30 consented but 15 completed; many referrals were unreachable or patients died. Caregivers rated patient pain, not patients themselves, so ratings may be influenced by caregiver perceptions. Participants were mostly white and non-Hispanic, from rural Midwestern hospice sites.
Declared interests
Authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Work was supported by the Hospice Foundation of the Ozarks and the Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital; one author was supported by a National Institute of Nursing Research training award.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that Ready2Care causes better pain control. The study had no control group, only 15 caregivers completed it, and several caregiver outcomes did not improve.