The RESCUE problem solving intervention for stroke caregivers: A mixed-methods pilot study.

Purpose/objective: Stroke caregivers face many challenges after a family member experiences stroke. Because caregivers play such a crucial role in health care, there is a need for more interventions in web-based formats that focus on caregiver psycho-education and skills building. A pilot study was devised to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and value of an active, 4-week telephone and web-based intervention for stroke caregivers.

Method/design: A one-group, pretest-posttest design with a mixed-methods approach was used. Qualitative data supplemented the quantitative findings. Community-dwelling caregivers of stroke patients were recruited from the Veterans Health Administration. Quantitative data were collected pre and postintervention. Semistructured interviews were completed with a subsample of caregivers to capture more detail about the acceptability and value of the intervention.

Results: Ninety-three caregivers were recruited; 72 caregivers completed the intervention and 21 withdrew (77% completion rate). From pre- to posttest, caregiver depression ( = .008) and caregiver burden ( = .013) decreased. Problem-solving abilities and health-related quality of life showed no change. Seventy-eight percent of caregivers rated the intervention sessions with the nurses as , and 76% reported using the problem-solving strategies to Interviews suggest that the intervention was valuable and led to new strategies to relieve stress and prioritize health.

Conclusions/implications: The intervention was feasible to implement and acceptable to caregivers. This intervention shows promise for fulfilling a need for more web-based interventions that focus on skills building and psycho-education, but more rigorous testing is needed to determine effectiveness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).