Ang Seng Giap Marcus, O'Brien Anthony Paul, Wilson Amanda
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
BMC Health Serv Res. 2018 Oct 26;18(1):819. doi: 10.1186/s12913-018-3632-6.
When dependent older persons (carees) experience a fall at home, their carers worry that they will fall again. This ongoing concern affects the carers' wellbeing, perception of burden and can potentially change care arrangements. Previous research has focused on carers of high fall risk older persons with stroke, dementia or Parkinson's disease. However, little is known about the carers' concerns for carees at risk of falling generally; and there is no validated instrument to measure this concern. This study aims to explore carers' fall concern about carees at risk of falling and the development of an instrument to measure this concern.
This study utilises an exploratory sequential design in the development of an instrument to measure carers' concerns. Phase One will explore carers' fall concern using a descriptive qualitative approach. Phases Two and Three will involve expert review, pilot testing and field testing of the instrument. Twenty participants will be recruited by purposive sampling in phase one, and convenience sampling of 50 and 250 participants respectively, in Phases Two and Three. The participants will be recruited from research volunteer registers and local hospital outpatient clinics. Participants will be 18 years old and older and the main carer of an older person. Participants will be interviewed about their concerns about falls. Inductive content analysis will be used to analyse interviews and develop items for the instrument. The psychometric properties of the raw instrument will be tested using an online survey. This study has received ethics approval from the Hunter New England Human Health Research Ethics Committee.
This study aims to provide greater depth of understanding about the psychological concerns and emotional burden related to carees' falls for carers. Quantifying carers' concerns will provide a context for interventions to assist and support carers and in the greater vigilance of monitoring the falling incidence of carees.
当受照料的老年人（被照料者）在家中跌倒时，他们的照料者会担心他们会再次跌倒。这种持续的担忧会影响照料者的幸福感、负担感，并可能改变护理安排。以往的研究主要集中在中风、痴呆或帕金森病等高跌倒风险老年人的照料者身上。然而，对于一般有跌倒风险的被照料者，照料者的担忧知之甚少；而且目前还没有经过验证的工具来衡量这种担忧。本研究旨在探讨照料者对有跌倒风险的被照料者的跌倒担忧，并开发一种工具来衡量这种担忧。
本研究在开发一种衡量照料者担忧的工具时采用探索性序列设计。第一阶段将采用描述性定性方法探索照料者的跌倒担忧。第二阶段和第三阶段将涉及该工具的专家评审、预测试和现场测试。第一阶段将通过目的抽样招募20名参与者，第二阶段和第三阶段将分别通过便利抽样招募50名和250名参与者。参与者将从研究志愿者登记册和当地医院门诊招募。参与者年龄在18岁及以上，是老年人的主要照料者。将询问参与者对跌倒的担忧。将采用归纳性内容分析法分析访谈内容并为该工具开发条目。将使用在线调查测试原始工具的心理测量特性。本研究已获得亨特新英格兰人类健康研究伦理委员会批准。
本研究旨在更深入地了解照料者与被照料者跌倒相关的心理担忧和情感负担。量化照料者的担忧将为协助和支持照料者的干预措施以及更密切监测被照料者的跌倒发生率提供背景。
