A cluster-randomized trial of a hospital-based caregiver training course in the U.K. found no differences in caregiver burden or patients' long-term function and hospital readmission rates.
Stroke imposes a substantial burden of disability that often falls on both patients and the family members who end up serving as their informal caretakers. A lack of requisite skills and resources to cope with disability exacts a psychological toll on caregivers and patients, impedes stroke recovery, and may result in unnecessary hospital readmissions. A Cochrane review of interventions for caregivers of stroke survivors found little methodologically robust data to support any specific intervention, with the most promising being the London Stroke Carers Training Course (LSCTC).
To assess the generalizability of the LSCTC, investigators performed a cluster-randomized trial at 36 stroke centers in the U.K. between 2008 and 2010. Staff at cente…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresSpeaker’s bureauGenentech
Grant / Research supportNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Michael Goldberg Stroke Research Fund
Editorial boardsPLOS One; Scientific Reports
Leadership positions in professional societiesNeurocritical Care Society (Research Committee Member)
DisclosuresSpeaker’s bureauGenentech
Grant / Research supportNational Institutes of Health/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; Michael Goldberg Stroke Research Fund
Editorial boardsPLOS One; Scientific Reports
Leadership positions in professional societiesNeurocritical Care Society (Research Committee Member)