Self-care capacity of informal caregivers of older adults with dementia: quasi-experimental study.
Daniela Luzia Zagoto Agulho, Annelita Almeida Oliveira Reiners, Rosemeiry Capriata de Souza Azevedo and 5 others
PMID 41172387WHAT IT FOUND
After watching four self-care videos sent through WhatsApp, 17 caregivers of older adults with dementia scored higher on self-care capacity, but with no control group the change cannot be proven to be due to the videos.
Key findings
01The primary self-care capacity score had a mean of 95.00 before the intervention and 102.11 after, with a p-value of 0.029.
02The intervention used four videos sent through WhatsApp, and 17 of 20 eligible caregivers completed it.
03Because the study had no control group, the observed change cannot be separated from time or other factors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so changes over time, attention, or other factors cannot be ruled out. Only 17 caregivers completed the intervention, and the study was done in one geriatric outpatient clinic, so generalisability is limited. Participants had to have a smartphone, internet access, and WhatsApp, so caregivers without digital access were not studied. Some caregivers had lower self-care capacity scores after the intervention, so the result was not uniform. The authors noted that the small sample reduces generalisability.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not state funding or conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the videos caused improved self-care. The study had no control group and only 17 caregivers completed it, so the change could reflect time, attention, or other factors.