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Abstract 77: Pilot Outcomes Of A Multi-component Support Intervention For Caregivers Of Persons With Heart Failure


 Background:
 Caregivers of persons with heart failure must manage high levels of patient health care utilization, treatment complexity and often unpredictable stressors associated with intermittent symptom exacerbations and mortality. Interventions have often focused on the needs of the person with HF, not the caregiver. Therefore, we developed an intervention using human-centered design to provide caregiver-targeted support for this population.
 
 
 Objective:
 Pilot test the feasibility and gauge initial effect size of the
 Caregiver Support
 intervention to improve quality of life (mental and physical), caregiver burden, and self-efficacy among family caregivers from baseline to 16 weeks.
 
 
 Methods:
 The intervention includes five individualized, nurse-led sessions over 10 weeks conducted remotely (due to COVID-19). Intervention components focus on 1) nature of caregiving, 2) life purpose, 3) co-development of an action plan to address caregiver goals to reduce caregiver burden and improve caregiver well-being, 4) exploration of social and community resources to support unmet needs, and 5) building a sustainability plan for addressing future caregiver needs.
 
 We tested our approach in a randomized waitlist control pilot trial (N=35) from August 2020 through March 2022. We calculated enrollment and retention rates, described acceptability, and computed intervention effect sizes from baseline to 16 weeks.
 
 Results:
 35 out of 101 (35%) eligible caregivers enrolled and were majority female (93.3%), White (60%) and spousal caregivers (63.3%). Average age was 59.4 ± 16.6 years. Overall retention was 69%. All intervention participants completed the five core components, reporting high levels of satisfaction and acceptability of activities. Between-group effect sizes (n=21) at 16 weeks suggest improvement in the mental health component of quality of life, caregiver burden, and self-efficacy (effect sizes 0.88, 0.31, and 0.63, respectively).
 
 
 Conclusion:
 Caregivers found
 Caregiver Support
 acceptable and study methods were feasible, despite challenges to engaging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings provide foundational evidence that this person-centered behavioral intervention can contribute to enhanced caregiver outcomes.
