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Educational intervention to improve palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2020

Hyunjin Noh Open the ORCID record for Hyunjin Noh [Opens in a new window] ,
Lewis H. Lee  and
Chorong Won
Hyunjin Noh*
Affiliation:
The University of Alabama School of Social Work, Tuscaloosa, AL
Lewis H. Lee
Affiliation:
The University of Alabama School of Social Work, Tuscaloosa, AL
Chorong Won
Affiliation:
The University of Alabama School of Social Work, Tuscaloosa, AL
*
Author for correspondence: Hyunjin Noh, The University of Alabama School of Social Work, Box 870314, Tuscaloosa, AL35487-0314, USA. E-mail: hnoh1@sw.ua.edu
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Abstract

Objective

Lack of palliative care knowledge among caregivers may pose an access barrier for cognitively impaired older adults, who may benefit from the specialized care. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention in improving palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults.

Method

Using a one-group, pre- and post-test intervention design, this study implemented an individual, face-to-face educational intervention with an informational brochure for 43 informal caregivers of chronically or seriously ill older adults (50+) with cognitive impairment, recruited from communities in West Alabama. Their level of knowledge about palliative care was assessed by the Palliative Care Knowledge Scale (PaCKS). The pre- and post-test scores were compared by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, and the racial subgroup (Whites vs. Blacks) comparison was made by the Mann–Whitney U test.

Results

There was a statistically significant difference between the pre- and post-test scores (z = 5.38, p < 0.001), indicating a statistically significant effect of the educational intervention in improving palliative care knowledge among participants. There was a significant difference (U = 143, p < 0.05) between Whites and Blacks in the pre-test, which, however, disappeared in the post-test (U = 173.50, p > 0.05), suggesting that the amount of increased PaCKS scores were significantly greater for Blacks (Mdn = 9.50) than for Whites (Mdn = 4.00, U = 130.50, p < 0.05).

Significance of results

This study demonstrated that a one-time educational intervention can improve the level of palliative care knowledge among informal caregivers of chronically or seriously ill older adults with cognitive impairment, particularly among Black caregivers. Therefore, further educational efforts can be made to promote palliative care knowledge and reduce racial disparities in palliative care knowledge and its use.

Keywords

Cognitive impairmentEducational interventionInformal caregiversPalliative care knowledge
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 19 , Issue 5 , October 2021 , pp. 515 - 523
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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