Effectiveness of a Telecare-based Intervention Programme in Supporting the Informal Caregivers of Community-dwelling Older Adults in Reducing Stress Level: Study Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 75
- 试验地点
- 1
- 主要终点
- Stress level
研究概览
简要总结
The primary caregivers of older adults provide intimate and immediate support when their loved one is in urgent need. Due to the full-time commitment in a caregiving role, the caregiver may not have extra time to join the onsite community services that are available to them in the daytime. With the support of advanced technology, telecare seems to be a convenient and easily accessible channel to provide individualized caregiving advice to the caregivers. This study examines the effectiveness of a telecare-based intervention programme for caregivers.
详细描述
Objectives: The primary caregivers of older adults provide intimate and immediate support when their loved one is in urgent need. Due to the full-time commitment in a caregiving role, the caregiver may not have extra time to join the onsite community services that are available to them in the daytime. With the support of advanced technology, telecare seems to be a convenient and easily accessible channel to provide individualized caregiving advice to the caregivers. This study examines the effectiveness of a telecare-based intervention programme for caregivers.
Hypothesis to be tested: To test if the research team-developed telecare-based intervention programme is effective in reducing the stress level of caregivers.
Design and subjects: This is a single-blinded, two-armed pilot randomized controlled trial. The subjects are people who are aged 18 or above, provide care to older adults aged ≥ 60 at least 4 hours per week for a minimum of 3 months, are capable to use smartphone to access the Internet, and are without psychiatric illnesses and cognitive impairment.
Interventions: The intervention group receives the telecare intervention programme designed by the research team. The caregivers receive nurse case management supported by a community health-social service team and be able to access a peer-support discussion forum. The control group receives usual community services
Primary outcome measure: Self-reported stress level; secondary outcome measures: self-efficacy, depression level, quality of life, and caregiving burden.
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- Single (Outcomes Assessor)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 是
入选标准
- •people who are aged ≥18 years old
- •understand and communicate in Cantonese
- •provide care to the older adults aged ≥60 at least 4 hours per week for a minimum of 3 months
- •smartphone user and know how to access the Internet
- •commit to attend bi-weekly, 15-30mins online meetings with the program providers over the 3-month period
- •willing to receive individual-specific video messages covering caregiving skills via WhatsApp
排除标准
- •alcoholic drinkers or psychiatric drug users
- •illiterate (inability to write and read)
- •having psychiatric problems
- •having cognitive impairment as evidenced by scoring 22 or above in Hong Kong version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment
- •already participated in other telecare health or social programs
研究组 & 干预措施
Telecare-based intervention program
This group of participants will receive a 3-month telecare-based intervention program which includes three main components: 1) online nurse case management supported by a health-social partnership team, 2) individual-specific video messages covering caregiving skills via WhatsApp, and 3) online information center and discussion forum via a password-protected, newly-developed caregiver website.
干预措施: Telecare-based intervention program (Other)
Control
The control group will receive conventional community services. The caregiver will attend five educational sessions that covers caregiving skills in the community centers on a fixed schedule.
结局指标
主要结局
Stress level
时间窗: 3-month
Stress level will be measured by the 14-item Chinese version of Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). It has been applied extensively to measure the degree of perceived stress for informal caregivers. The total score ranges between 0 (minimum stress perceived) and 56 (maximum stress perceived), with a higher score representing a greater perceived stress level.
次要结局
- Self-efficacy(3-month)
- Quality of life (general well-being of individual)(3-month)
- Caregiving burden(3-month)
- Depression(3-month)
研究者
Arkers, Wong
Principal investigator
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University