The Effects of a Multidisciplinary Supportive Program on Caregiver Burden among the Family Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Controlled Field Trial

Background and Objective: The family caregivers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience heavy caregiver burden (CB). This study investigated the effects of a multidisciplinary supportive program on CB in the family caregivers of patients with advanced COPD. Materials and Methods: This randomized field trial was conducted in the pulmonary subspecialty clinic of Birjand University of Medical Sciences, in 2019. In the present study, 92 eligible family caregivers of COPD patients were randomly allocated into intervention and control groups. The study intervention included eight sessions. Three educational sessions on COPD were held by a pulmonary disease specialist and an experienced nurse in COPD care, two educational sessions were held on coping strategies by a psychiatric nurse and three peer support sessions. CB was assessed before, immediately after and two months after the study intervention. SPSS (v. 21.0) was used for data analysis. Results: CB significantly decreased in the intervention group (P=0.01). It did not change significantly in the control group (P=0.63). Betweengroup differences, with respect to the mean score of CB at the baseline (P=0.66) and the first post-test (P=0.72) were not significant. The mean score of CB in the second post-test was significantly lower in the intervention group, compared to the control group (P=0.007). Conclusion: Multidisciplinary supportive program is effective in reducing CB among the family caregivers of patients with advanced COPD.