Harding, R., Higginson, I.J., Leam, C., Donaldson, N., Pearce, A., George, R., . . . Taylor, L. (2004). Evaluation of a short-term group intervention for informal carers of patients attending a home palliative care service. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 27(5), 396–408.

A short-term, closed, multiprofessional group aimed to promote self-care by combining informal teaching with group support.

A single group facilitator introduced multiprofessional input from a changing weekly speaker during six, 90-minute weekly sessions. Groups were capped at 12 caregivers.

The group initially focused on patient issues, and transportation for caregivers and a patient-sitting service were provided when necessary.

A total of four groups were delivered with peer supervision to ensure consistency of the intervention.

• N = 73 adult, informal, unpaid caregivers of patients receiving palliative care (86% of patients had a diagnosis of cancer)

• Home palliative care services in London, United Kingdom

The study design was a prospective, observational, comparative (no randomization) between those who accepted the intervention (n = 36) and those who declined the intervention but agreed to data collection in the first wave (n = 37); limitations existed in group assignment.

• Zarit burden inventory
• Palliative outcome scale
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance scale
• Coping responses inventory
• General health questionnaire-12
• State anxiety scale

The intervention was not found to affect outcomes for any measures at post-intervention (eight weeks) or follow-up (five months).

• The study had no randomization.
• Participants had a choice of comparison group.
• Little information was given about the training or preparation of the group facilitator.
• The sample was mostly Caucasian.
• Attrition was a problem.