LUCAS-Centre for Care Research & Consultancy, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Department of Oral Health Sciences, Research Group Population Studies in Oral Health, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
PLoS One. 2023 Aug 10;18(8):e0289952. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289952. eCollection 2023.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the feasibility of a Flemish adaptation of the New York University Caregiver Intervention (i.e., PROACTIVE intervention) modifying the recruitment and intervention content for informal caregivers of people with early cognitive decline, and across different subgroups. A feasibility study is necessary in order to reduce research waste for intervention adaptation and evaluation.
Researchers constructed, tested, and sent out a survey consisting of 43 questions on the following topics: awareness of symptoms of early cognitive decline, levels of cognitive performance using the updated Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS2), acceptability, and potential helpfulness of the intervention, and sociodemographic characteristics. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression with SAS 9.4©. Qualitative data were analyzed using an inductive content analysis.
A total of 463 informal caregivers completed the survey (mean age 58.8 ± 11.8, 83.6% female). Among them, 230 respondents who cared for people with cognitive decline indicated they would probably or certainly participate in the study. Identified factors influencing the recruitment were cognition, co-habitation, education, and employment status. Over half of the target caregivers indicated almost all services from the intervention could satisfy their needs. A majority perceived the PROACTIVE intervention would be helpful (69.4%), especially the CPS2 = 3 (76.1%) and CPS2 = 4 (74.1%) subgroups.
The recruitment of target participants for a subsequent RCT evaluation study is feasible, and identified associated factors should be considered during the recruitment process. The PROACTIVE intervention and core components except 'peer-group participation' were perceived as helpful by most caregivers. The CPS2 = 3-4 subgroups were most accepting of the intervention and were most likely to benefit from the intervention.
背景/目的：本研究旨在探索对纽约大学护理人员干预措施（即 PROACTIVE 干预）进行佛兰德语改编的可行性，从而针对早期认知衰退人群的非正式护理人员及其不同亚组修改招募和干预内容。由于干预措施的适应性和评估需要减少研究浪费，因此进行可行性研究是必要的。
研究人员构建、测试并发送了一份包含 43 个问题的调查问卷，内容涉及：对早期认知衰退症状的认识、使用更新后的认知表现量表（CPS2）评估的认知表现水平、干预措施的可接受性和潜在有用性，以及社会人口统计学特征。使用 SAS 9.4© 分析定量数据，采用描述性统计和逻辑回归。使用归纳内容分析法分析定性数据。
共有 463 名非正式护理人员完成了调查（平均年龄 58.8 ± 11.8 岁，83.6%为女性）。其中，230 名照顾认知衰退者的受访者表示他们可能或肯定会参加该研究。影响招募的因素包括认知、共同居住、教育和就业状况。超过一半的目标护理人员表示，干预措施中的几乎所有服务都能满足他们的需求。大多数人认为 PROACTIVE 干预措施将有所帮助（69.4%），特别是 CPS2=3（76.1%）和 CPS2=4（74.1%）亚组。
招募目标参与者进行后续 RCT 评估研究是可行的，并且在招募过程中应考虑相关因素。大多数护理人员认为 PROACTIVE 干预措施及其核心组成部分（除“同伴小组参与”外）是有帮助的。CPS2=3-4 亚组对干预措施的接受程度最高，最有可能从中受益。
