Caregivers, Feasibility Study, Head and Neck Cancer
Conditions
Brief summary
Informal caregivers to patients with head and neck cancer report that they are unprepared for caregiving, that they experience a high caregiver burden and a deteriorated health. The aim is to develop an internet based intervention for informal caregivers of individuals with head and neck cancer and evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. The internet based intervention (Carer eSupport) will be based on scientific evidence, established theoretical frameworks and focus groups with caregivers and health care professionals. The feasibility and acceptability of Carer eSupport will be evaluated by 30 caregivers who will have access to Carer eSupport during one months. The feasibility and acceptability of Carer eSupport will be evaluated with quantitative and qualitative data.
Interventions
OTHERInternet based support
Carer eSupport is designed to prepare informal caregivers for caregiving, to decrease caregiver burden and prevent a deteriorated health.
Sponsors
The Swedish Research Council
Swedish Cancer Society
Uppsala University Hospital
Region Västerbotten
Region Örebro County
Uppsala University
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Single group posttest only design
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Informal caregivers (defined by the patients) to patients with head and neck cancer who are about to start treatment, undergoing treatment or have completed treatment within the past month.
Exclusion criteria
* Confusion or dementia, inability to understand, speak or read Swedish.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived acceptability | Within 1 months after completion of testing Carer eSupport. | Qualitative data from semi-structured individual interviews exploring perceived acceptability of Carer eSupport. |
| Inclusion rate | 4 months | The proportion of caregivers who give informed consent for participation |
| Utilization of Carer eSupport | 2 months | The proportion of included caregivers who take use of Carer eSupport |
| Attrition | 3 months | The proportion of included caregivers who withdraw from the study |
| Completion of questionnaires | 3 months | The proportion of included caregivers who complete questionnaires |
| Perceived feasibility | Within 1 months after completion of testing Carer eSupport. | Qualitative data from semi-structured individual interviews exploring perceived feasibility of Carer eSupport. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Caregiver´s burden scale | Assessed at baseline and at 1 months after access to Carer eSupport. | A 22-item self-report measure assessing caregiver burden, a potential primary outcome in a future randomized controlled trial. |
| Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), v2. | Assessed at baseline and at 1 months after access to Carer eSupport. | A 36-item self-report measure assessing self-perceived health, a potential secondary outcome in a future randomized controlled trial. |
| The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 | Assessed at baseline and at 1 months after access to Carer eSupport. | A 21-item self-report measure assessing depression, anxiety, and stress, a potential secondary outcome in a future randomized controlled trial. |
| The Multidimensional fatigue inventory | Assessed at baseline and at 1 months after access to Carer eSupport. | A 20-item self-report measure assessing five dimensions of fatigue, a potential secondary outcome in a future randomized controlled trial. |
| The Preparedness for caregiving scale | Assessed at baseline and at 1 months after access to Carer eSupport | A brief 8-item self-report measure assessing preparedness for caregiving, a potential primary outcome in a future randomized controlled trial. |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed