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BACKGROUND Research and policy demonstrate the value and need for systematically identifying and preparing care partners for their caregiving responsibilities while their family member or friend living with dementia is hospitalized. The Care Partner Hospital Assessment Tool (CHAT) had undergone content and face validation and been endorsed as appropriate by clinicians to facilitate the timely identification and preparation of care partners of older adult patients during their hospitalization. However, the CHAT has not yet been adapted or prospectively evaluated for use with care partners of hospitalized persons living with dementia (PLWD). Adapting and testing the CHAT via a pilot study will provide the necessary evidence to optimize feasibility and enable future efficacy trials. OBJECTIVE To describe the study protocol for the adaptation and testing of the CHAT for use among care partners of hospitalized PLWD to better prepare them for their caregiving responsibilities after hospital discharge. METHODS Our protocol consists of two sequential phases, including a formative research and main trial. In Phase 1, we will use a participatory human-centered design process that incorporates PLWD and their care partners, healthcare administrators, and clinicians to adapt the CHAT for dementia care (i.e., D-CHAT). In Phase 2, we will partner with a large academic medical system to complete a pilot randomized controlled trial to examine the feasibility and estimate the size of the effect of the D-CHAT on care partners’ preparedness for caregiving. RESULTS The study protocol will yield: 1) a converged-upon, ready for feasibility testing, D-CHAT, 2) descriptive and feasibility characteristics of delivering the D-CHAT, and 3) effect size estimates of the D-CHAT on care partner preparedness. CONCLUSIONS We anticipate that the resultant D-CHAT will provide clinicians guidance on how to identify and better prepare care partners of hospitalized PLWD. In turn, care partners will feel equipped to fulfill caregiving roles for their family members or friends living with dementia. CLINICALTRIAL Dementia Care Partner Hospital Assessment Tool ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05592366 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05592366 |
