The Impact of an Intervention to Improve Caregiver Contribution to Heart Failure Self-care on Caregiver Anxiety, Depression, Quality of Life, and Sleep.
Giulia Locatelli, Paola Rebora, Giuseppe Occhino and 7 others
PMID 37204336WHAT IT FOUND
Adding caregivers to a heart failure self-care intervention did not worsen their anxiety, depression, quality of life, or sleep compared to standard care or patient-only intervention.
Scores improved slightly over time in all groups, with no significant differences between arms.
Key findings
01The intervention aimed at improving caregiver contribution to self-care did not increase caregivers' anxiety or depression levels.
02There were no significant differences in changes in caregiver quality of life or sleep quality between the three study arms over 12 months.
03Caregivers living with the patient had significantly higher depression scores and lower physical quality of life than those not living with the patient.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study had a high attrition rate, with 55.8% of caregivers dropping out by the 12-month follow-up, largely due to refusal or patient death. The motivational interviewing intervention did not achieve high quality scores for its technical and relational components, which may have limited its potential effect on caregiver outcomes. Participants were not blinded to their study arm, which could influence self-reported outcomes.
Declared interests
Funded by the Center of Excellence for Nursing Scholarship (CECRI), Rome, Italy. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of worsening in caregiver outcomes as proof that the intervention improved them. The study found no significant differences between arms, meaning the intervention was safe but did not actively enhance caregiver well-being compared to standard care.