title: Intervention to improve social and family support for caregivers of dependent patients: ICIAS study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the existence of formal professional support services, informal support (mainly family members) continues to be the main source of eldercare, especially for those who are dependent or disabled. Professionals on the primary health care are the ideal choice to educate, provide psychological support, and help to mobilize social resources available to the informal caregiver.Controversy remains concerning the efficiency of multiple interventions, taking a holistic approach to both the patient and caregiver, and optimum utilization of the available community resources. .For this reason our goal is to assess whether an intervention designed to improve the social support for caregivers effectively decreases caregivers burden and improves their quality of life.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  CONTROLled, multicentre, community intervention trial, with patients and their caregivers randomized to the intervention or control group according to their assigned Primary Health Care Team (PHCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary Health Care network (9 PHCTs).
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary informal caregivers of patients receiving home health care from participating PHCTs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Required sample size is 282 caregivers (141 from PHCTs randomized to the intervention group and 141 from PHCTs randomized to the control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  a) PHCT professionals: standardized training to implement caregivers intervention. b) Caregivers: 1 individualized counselling session, 1 family session, and 4 educational group sessions conducted by participating PHCT professionals; in addition to usual home health care visits, periodic telephone follow-up contact and unlimited telephone support.
  
  
  METHODS
  Caregivers and dependent patients: usual home health care, consisting of bimonthly scheduled visits, follow-up as needed, and additional attention upon request.Data analysisDependent variables: Caregiver burden (short-form Zarit test), caregivers' social support (Medical Outcomes Study), and caregivers' reported quality of life (SF-12)INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: a) Caregiver: sociodemographic data, Goldberg Scale, Apgar family questionnaire, Holmes and Rahe Psychosocial Stress Scale, number of chronic diseases. b) Dependent patient: sociodemographic data, level of dependency (Barthel Index), cognitive impairment (Pfeiffer test).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If the intervention intended to improve social and family support is effective in reducing the burden on primary informal caregivers of dependent patients, this model can be readily applied throughout usual PHCT clinical practice.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinical trials registrar: NCT02065427.
authors.affiliation: Primary Care Team, Serraparera, Institut Català de la Salut, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08290, Spain. mrosell.mn.ics@gencat.cat.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosell-Murphy
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bonet-Simó
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baena
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bellerino
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Solé
authors.forename: Montserrat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rubio
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Krier
authors.forename: Pascuala
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mimoso
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods; D015987:Effect Modifier, Epidemiologic; D005192:Family Health; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D018579:Patient Selection; D011788:Quality of Life; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors