Educational Intervention to Increase the Skill of Informal Caregivers: A Quasi-Experimental Pilot Study

Abstract

Objective to compare the skill of informal caregivers to care for dependent people undergoing educational planning discharge intervention with and without follow-up at home. Method this is a quasi-experimental, randomized, simple pilot study, with pre and post-test, not blind, however, with blind assessment of the outcomes, with two follow-up interventions. It was carried out between October 2019 and January 2020 in Maringá, Brazil, with 21 informal caregivers of dependent people, randomized to Intervention Group I and Intervention Group II. Group I underwent an educational intervention consisting of guidance and training during the hospitalization period, with follow-up after hospital discharge by nurses at home, and participants in Group II received only guidance at the hospital. To assess the difference in the level of skill, the COPER 14 instrument was used, applied at times 0, week 1 and week 4, submitting the results to analysis of variance. Results group I had more than twice as much (mean score=8.94) of skill as Group II (mean score=3.90), with a significant increase in practically all the variables analyzed. A significant increase in the score ranks was detected between the variables cognitive and behavioral skill (1.19 - 3.00, p=0.001), psychomotor (1.13 - 3.00, p=0.001) and relational (1.75 - 2.75, p=0.037) in Group I. Conclusion the educational intervention given to the Intervention Group I (IG-I) was effective in increasing the skill of informal caregivers of dependent people. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials RBR-5rzmzf.

Construction and validation of clinical scenarios for training informal caregivers of dependent persons

“…A quasi-experimental study evidenced that the training of informal caregivers while still in the hospital environment and further monitoring their actions during the provision of care at home reduces inappropriate care practices. The lack of educational support and of patient intervention demonstrations contribute to the incidence of seeking emergency services and hospital readmissions due to inadequate care provided by unprepared informal caregivers (6)(7) .…”

“…Health professionals, especially nurses, play an important role in supporting caregivers through effective health education strategies that ensure the quality of care and the safety of dependent people in the home environment. In this perspective, considering the multifaceted and interdisciplinary needs, which are essential for actions of transitional care of people dependent both of care (from hospital to home) and approaches that require special resources for patient survival, training strategies with technological and visual materials need to be highlighted (7)(8)(9) .…”

Construção e validação de cenários clínicos para capacitação de cuidadores informais de pessoas dependentes

“…Estudo quase experimental apresentou evidências de que o preparo ainda em ambiente hospitalar do cuidador informal de pessoas dependentes de cuidado no domicílio e o acompanhamento destes durante a oferta de cuidado na residência propicia a redução de práticas de cuidado inadequadas ao contexto das necessidades individuais do paciente. A falta de apoio educacional e de demonstração das intervenções ao paciente também contribui na incidência de utilização de serviços de urgência e de reinternações hospitalares por cuidado inadequado, prestado por cuidadores informais despreparados (6)(7) .…”

“…Os profissionais de saúde, em especial o enfermeiro, possuem um importante papel no suporte aos cuidadores por meio de estratégias eficazes de educação em saúde, que garantam, no ambiente domiciliar, a qualidade do cuidado e a segurança das pessoas dependentes. Nessa perspectiva, considerando as necessidades multifacetadas e interdisciplinares, essenciais para ações de cuidado transicional de pessoas dependentes tanto de cuidado (do hospital ao domicílio) quanto das abordagens que exigem recursos especiais para a sobrevivência do paciente, as estratégias de capacitação com materiais tecnológicos e visuais necessitam ser evidenciadas (7)(8)(9) .…”