The Effect on Home Caregivers of a Family Support Program Based on a Nurse-Led Case Management Model: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial

Abstract

Home caregivers have a large amount of responsibility, and many have difficulty in fulfilling their care-giving roles. Previous studies have shown that when caregivers are supported socially, psychologically, and culturally, there is a positive improvement in caregivers’ coping skills, quality of live, and a decrease in health problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a family support program based on the nurse-led case management model on home caregivers by measuring quality of life, caregiver burden, and family functionality level. In this study 27 home caregivers were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The family support program based on a 5-stage nurse-led case management model was administered for the caregivers in the intervention group (n = 13) for 6 months. The caregivers in the control group (n = 14) were monitored by home health services through routine follow-ups. Baseline and postintervention assessments included the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life–Brief Turkish Form, and the Family APGAR Scale. It was found out that there was a statistically significant difference among caregiver burden, quality of life, and family functionality level total scores of caregivers in the intervention and control groups ( p < .05). A family support program based on nurse-led case management model has a supportive role for caregivers, where web-based education and counseling services are available, patients and their relatives are monitored by a multidisciplinary health team, and their educational needs are met.