Enhancing Palliative Care with Social Support
Author Information
Author(s): DeGroot Lyndsay
Primary Institution: University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Can integrating the social convoy improve palliative care through a digital intervention?
Conclusion
The Convoy-Pal intervention showed positive feedback and improvements in social functioning among participants.
Supporting Evidence
- Initial usability feedback was favorable with a uMARS score of 4.22±.8/5.
- Intervention participants reported improvements in social functioning with SF-36 scores increasing from 64.6±25.8 to 73.2±31.3.
- Social convoys reported increased perceptions of positive aspects of caregiving, with scores rising from 29.5±5.28 to 35.0±5.35.
- The study maintained a 67.4% retention rate with only 4.6% missing subscales on surveys.
Takeaway
This study created a digital tool to help people with serious illnesses and their caregivers work together better, and it seemed to help them feel more connected.
Methodology
A user-centered design approach was used to develop the Convoy-Pal intervention, followed by a waitlist randomized control trial.
Limitations
Recruitment of multiple caregivers was challenging, and not all participants had access to mobile devices.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily older adults, average age 76.3 years, and their social convoys averaged 71.6 years, mostly White.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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