University of Washington
Seattle, Washington, 98195, United States
Completed
NCT Number: NCT01444027
Hospice Problem Solving Intervention
In recent years, the demand for home hospice care has grown rapidly. Family members and friends who act as informal caregivers are essential to the provision of palliative care services; however, this role is not without adverse effects on the caregivers themselves. It is well documented that emotional needs of individuals caring for dying persons in their home are not well attended, and interventions aiming to provide support to informal hospice caregivers are notably lacking. In this context, problem solving therapy (PST) provides an overall coping process that fosters adaptive situational coping and behavioral competence. The investigators are conducting a randomized controlled trial to fully evaluate the PST intervention for informal hospice caregivers. Additionally, the investigators aim to evaluate how the modality of the intervention (face to face vs video) impacts its effectiveness. This investigator team is conducting a 4-year randomized trial study in which hospice caregivers will be randomly assigned to a group receiving standard hospice care with the addition of social support interactions (attention control group) or a group receiving standard hospice care with the addition of the problem solving intervention delivered face to face (intervention group 1) or a group receiving standard hospice care with the addition of the problem solving intervention delivered via video (intervention group 2). The specific aims include an assessment of the impact of PST on caregiver quality of life, problem solving ability, and caregiver anxiety.
Completed
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Notify MeKey information
Conditions
Age range
18 year and older
Sex eligibility
All sexes
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Not applicable
Primary location
Who can participate
Healthy volunteers accepted: No
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
- enrolled as a family/informal caregiver of a hospice patient
- 18 years or older
- with access to a standard phone line or Internet and computer access at home
- without functional hearing loss or with a hearing aid that allows the participant to conduct telephone conversations as assessed by the research staff (by questioning and observing the caregiver)
- no or only mild cognitive impairment
- speak and read English, with at least a 6th-grade education
Exclusion criteria
- lack of phone or Internet access
Treatment and study plan
Problem solving therapy
BehavioralProblem-solving therapy (PST) focuses on behavioral change principles derived from this theoretical framework. PST addresses four skills: 1) problem definition and formulation, which involves gathering data and information, articulating the issue in clear terms, identifying the challenge, and setting realistic goals; 2) generation of alternative strategies; 3) decision making; and 4) solution implementation. The intervention is delivered in a series of interactions with the interventionist.
Primary outcomes
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Caregiver Anxiety: Change From Baseline to Post-Intervention Exit
Time frame: At Baseline and Exit (approximately 4 weeks after recruitment)
Caregiver anxiety was measured with the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) Scale (Spitzer et al., 2006), which measures the frequency with which respondents experience symptoms of anxiety such as restlessness, difficulty relaxing, and uncontrollable worrying. The GAD-7 total scores range from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating more anxiety.
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Caregiver Quality of Life - Physical: Change From Baseline to Post-Intervention Exit
Time frame: At Baseline and Exit (approximately 4 weeks after recruitment)
An interview CQLI version was developed by using identical items from the paper-based CQLI and replacing the visual analogue response format with a 0-10 response scale. Higher scores indicate better physical quality of life.
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Caregiver Quality of Life - Social: Change From Baseline to Post-Intervention Exit
Time frame: At Baseline and Exit (approximately 4 weeks after recruitment)
An interview CQLI version was developed by using identical items from the paper-based CQLI and replacing the visual analogue response format with a 0-10 response scale. Higher scores indicate better social quality of life.
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Caregiver Quality of Life - Emotional: Change From Baseline to Post-Intervention Exit
Time frame: At Baseline and Exit (approximately 4 weeks after recruitment)
An interview CQLI version was developed by using identical items from the paper-based CQLI and replacing the visual analogue response format with a 0-10 response scale. Higher scores indicate better emotional quality of life.
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Caregiver Quality of Life - Financial: Change From Baseline to Post-Intervention Exit
Time frame: At Baseline and Exit (approximately 4 weeks after recruitment)
An interview CQLI version was developed by using identical items from the paper-based CQLI and replacing the visual analogue response format with a 0-10 response scale. Higher scores indicate better financial quality of life.
Sponsors and collaborators
Lead sponsor
University of Washington
Other
Collaborators
- National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
Registry information
Official study title
A Problem Solving Intervention for Hospice Caregivers
Important dates
- Study start
- 2011
- Primary completion
- 2016
- Study completion
- 2016
- First posted
- Sep 30, 2011
- Registry last updated
- Dec 13, 2017
OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.
View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.