66935
document
Reducing the psychological distress of family caregivers of home based palliative care patients : longer term effects from a randomised controlled trial . BACKGROUND Palliative care incorporates comprehensive support of family caregivers because many of them experience burden and distress . However , evidence-based support initiatives are few . PURPOSE We evaluated a one-to-one psychoeducational intervention aimed at mitigating the distress of caregivers of patients with advanced cancer receiving home-based palliative care . We hypothesised that caregivers would report decreased distress as assessed by the General Health Questionnaire ( GHQ ) . METHOD A randomised controlled trial comparing two versions of the delivery of the intervention ( one face-to-face home visit plus telephone calls versus two visits ) plus standard care to a control group ( standard care only ) across four sites in Australia . RESULTS Recruitment to the one visit condition was 57 , the two visit condition 93 , and the control 148 . We previously reported non-significant changes in distress between times 1 ( baseline ) and 2 ( 1-week post-intervention ) but significant gains in competence and preparedness . We report here changes in distress between times 1 and 3 ( 8-week post-death ) . There was significantly less worsening in distress between times 1 and 3 in the one visit intervention group than in the control group ; however , no significant difference was found between the two visit intervention and the control group . CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with the aim of the intervention , and they support existing evidence demonstrating that relatively short psychoeducational interventions can help family caregivers who are supporting a dying relative . The sustained benefit during the bereavement period may also have positive resource implications , which should be the subject of future inquiry .
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Intervention_Educational
one-to-one psychoeducational
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Intervention_Educational
two versions of the delivery of the intervention ( one face-to-face home visit plus telephone calls versus two visits ) plus standard care to a control group ( standard care only )
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Outcome_Mental
psychological distress
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Outcome_Mental
mitigating the distress of caregivers
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Outcome_Mental
decreased distress as assessed by the General Health Questionnaire ( GHQ ) .
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Outcome_Mental
distress
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Outcome_Mental
competence and preparedness .
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Outcome_Mental
distress
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Outcome_Mental
worsening in distress
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Participant_Condition
palliative care patients
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Participant_Condition
cancer receiving home-based palliative care
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Participant_Sample-size
57
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Participant_Sample-size
93
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Participant_Condition
control