Training carers reduces stroke burden and saves money

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Article Date: 10 May 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Training carers of disabled stroke patients in basic nursing skills improves quality of life and saves money, according to two studies in this week's British Medical Journal.

Informal care givers support disabled stroke patients at home but often feel inadequately trained, poorly informed, and dissatisfied with the support available.

The studies involved 300 stroke patients and their care givers. Care givers provided either conventional support, or were trained in basic nursing tasks, moving and handling skills, and personal care techniques. All patients and care givers were assessed at three and 12 months.

Trained care givers experienced less anxiety, depression, and had a significantly higher quality of life than non-trained care givers.

Although patient deaths and disability were not influenced by caregiver training, patients whose care givers had received training reported significantly improved quality of life and psychological wellbeing.

The costs of care over one year for patients whose care givers had received training were also significantly lower (£10,133 v £13,794).

Although the practical importance of the effects of any intervention on quality of life can be difficult to interpret, the significant improvements associated with caregiver training are likely to indicate an important effect that has implications for clinical practice, conclude the authors.

Contact:

Lalit Kalra, Professor of Stroke Medicine, Department of Medicine, Guy's, King's and St Thomas's School of Medicine, London, UK
Email: lalit.kalra@kcl.ac.uk

(Training care givers of stroke patients: randomised controlled trial and economic evaluation)
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7448/1102

(Editorial: Informal care giving for disabled stroke survivors)
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7448/1085

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