Training informal caregivers of patients with stroke improved patient and caregiver quality of life and reduced costs

摘要

Han and haley previously highlighted the lack of research into how best to support informal carers of stroke patients.The inclusion of the caregiver role within the Royal College of Physicians Intercollegiate Guidelines for Stroke reinforced the need to formally support caregivers;2 this element is likely to be strengthened in the second edition due to be published in July 2004.The interventions in the study by Kalra et al appear to match the 5 main needs and concerns of caregivers identified by Bakas et al: information, emotions and behaviours, physical care, instrumental care, and personal responses to caregiving.3 Although the improvements in mood and quality of life in both patients and caregivers in the training group are important, it is perhaps unsurprising that the groups did not differ for patient mortality, institutionalisation, or function. Caregivers received a total input of 1.5-3.75 hours across approximately 10 aspects of stroke care. Although this may be sufficient to promote psychological and social wellbeing in both caregivers and patients, it might be ambitious to assume that such input would affect more physical outcomes.The study findings clearly show a positive effect of caregiver training on the ability of caregivers to cope with long term caring. Practitioners should be encouraged to develop similarly organised training programmes.