Optimizing the integration of family caregivers in the delivery of person-centered care: evaluation of an educational program for the healthcare workforce.

BACKGROUND: While family caregivers provide 70-90% of care for people living in the community and assist with 10-30% of the care in congregate living, most healthcare providers do not meaningfully involve family caregivers as partners in care. Recent research recommends that the healthcare workforce receive competency-based education to identify, assess, support, and partner with family caregivers across the care trajectory. OBJECTIVE: This paper reports a mixed-methods evaluation of a person-centered competency-based education program on Caregiver-Centered Care for the healthcare workforce. METHODS: This foundational education was designed for all healthcare providers and trainees who work with family caregivers and is offered free online (caregivercare.ca). Healthcare providers from five healthcare settings (primary, acute, home, supportive living, long-term care) and trainees in medicine, nursing, and allied health were recruited via email and social media. We used the Kirkpatrick-Barr health workforce training evaluation framework to evaluate the education program, measuring various healthcare providers' learner satisfaction with the content (Level 1), pre-post changes in knowledge and confidence when working with family caregivers (Level 2), and changes in behaviors in practice (Level 3). RESULTS: Participants were primarily healthcare employees (68.9%) and trainees (21.7%) and represented 5 healthcare settings. Evaluation of the first 161 learners completing the program indicated that on a 5-point Likert scale, the majority were satisfied with the overall quality of the education (Mean(M) = 4.69; SD = .60). Paired T-tests indicated that out of a score of 50, post-education changes in knowledge and confidence to work with family caregivers was significantly higher than pre-education scores (pre M = 38.90, SD = 6.90; post M = 46.60, SD = 4.10; t(150) = - 16.75, p < .0001). Qualitative results derived from open responses echoed the quantitative findings in satisfaction with the education delivery as well as improvements in learners' knowledge and confidence. CONCLUSION: Health workforce education to provide person-centered care to all family caregivers is an innovative approach to addressing the current inconsistent system of supports for family caregivers. The education program evaluated here was effective at increasing self-reported knowledge and confidence to work with family caregivers.

Person-centered care for family caregivers of people living with dementia: Co-designing an education program for the healthcare workforce.

BACKGROUND: Recent research recommends the healthcare workforce receive competency-based education to identify, assess, support and partner with family-caregivers [FCGs} across the care trajectory.[1 2] Although the risk of FCG anxiety, burden, and loneliness to FCG's wellbeing is widely documented, typically education has been targeted towards FCG's to increase their care skills rather to educate healthcare providers to support FCG's caregiving and wellbeing.[3] OBJECTIVES: We will present the co-design process used to create a competency-based education program for the healthcare workforce that ensures a person-centered focus on FCGs and introduce our Health Workforce Caregiver-Centered Care Education focused on dementia. Co-design is the act of creating with stakeholders to ensure the results meet their needs and are usable. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: We began by coining the concept "caregiver-centered care," defining it as: a collaborative working relationship between families and healthcare providers aimed at supporting FCGs in their caregiving role, decisions about services, care management, and advocacy [4 5] . From this definition, and working with multi-level interdisciplinary stakeholders we designed[6] and validated[7] a Caregiver-Centered Care Competency Framework in a Modified Delphi Process. Stakeholders (n= 101) including FCGs, health providers, policy makers, community organizations, research team, script writer, and educational designers then used effective practices for dementia education for the health workforce [8-11] to co-design the first or 'foundational' level of a Caregiver Centered Care education program. RESULTS: Teaching and learning resources include six competency-aligned educational modules with videos and interactive exercises that encourage reflection. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we moved the education online (caregivercare.ca). In the first two months online, November 9, 2020-January 9, 2021, 352 healthcare providers completed the education. To date, learners' qualitative evaluations have been positive, "Very good information for professionals working with caregivers; especially relevant to homecare, geriatricians, allied health, and others working within the Seniors' Health realm. Engaging format that really evokes empathy for caregivers." DISCUSSION: We continue to use mixed methods to evaluate the Caregiver-Centered Care Education, for acceptability and effectiveness, in five care contexts (primary, acute, home, supportive living, long-term care). CONCLUSION: We expect that our education will support caregiver-centered care in all settings providing dementia-related care.