Identifying treatment effects of an informal caregiver education intervention to increase days in the community and decrease caregiver distress: a machine-learning secondary analysis of subgroup effects in the HI-FIVES randomized clinical trial.

Journal: Trials
PMID:

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Informal caregivers report substantial burden and depressive symptoms which predict higher rates of patient institutionalization. While caregiver education interventions may reduce caregiver distress and decrease the use of long-term institutional care, evidence is mixed. Inconsistent findings across studies may be the result of reporting average treatment effects which do not account for how effects differ by participant characteristics. We apply a machine-learning approach to randomized clinical trial (RCT) data of the Helping Invested Family Members Improve Veteran's Experiences Study (HI-FIVES) intervention to explore how intervention effects vary by caregiver and patient characteristics.

Authors

  • Megan Shepherd-Banigan
    Durham VA HSR&D ADAPT, Durham VA Health Care System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, 27705, USA. megan.shepherd-banigan@va.gov.
  • Valerie A Smith
    Durham VA HSR&D ADAPT, Durham VA Health Care System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
  • Jennifer H Lindquist
    Durham VA HSR&D ADAPT, Durham VA Health Care System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
  • Michael Paul Cary
    School of Nursing, Duke University, 307 Trent Drive, Durham, NC, 27710, USA.
  • Katherine E M Miller
    Durham VA HSR&D ADAPT, Durham VA Health Care System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
  • Jennifer G Chapman
    Durham VA HSR&D ADAPT, Durham VA Health Care System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
  • Courtney H Van Houtven
    Durham VA HSR&D ADAPT, Durham VA Health Care System, 508 Fulton Street, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.