The effect of transitional care model-based interventions for stroke patients and their caregivers in increasing caregivers' competence and on patient results

Aim: The study was conducted to assess the effect of interventions (TEMpEST- Transitional Care Model Stroke Turkey) based on Transitional Care Model (TCM) for stroke patients and their caregivers on competence perceived by caregivers, increasing their readiness for caregiving and electronic health literacy, decreasing their burnout, and the rates of rehospitalization and bedsore development of patients. Method: This randomized controlled single-center trial with pretest-posttest was conducted with 33 stroke patients and caregivers in the intervention group and 30 stroke patients and caregivers in the control group in a hospital in Antalya city between March and May 2018. Within the scope of TCM, the intervention group was included in TEMpEST program including three hospital visits, one home visit, communication on the phone for three months and web-based training. The control group was included in the routine practice of the clinic. The results were measured by using Caregiving Competence, Preparedness for Caregiving Scale, E-Health Literacy and Burnout Inventory in caregivers and the form for evaluation of bedsore development and rehospitalization rates in patients. The ethics committee approval, institutional permission, and patients' informed consent were obtained. Descriptive statistics, Paired Samples t-test, Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, and Mann Whitney U Test were used for hypotheses. Results: After TCM-based TEMpEST interventions, there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest scores of caregiver competence, preparedness for caregiving, e-health literacy and the burnout inventory's subscales of intervention group (p<0.05). Within 12 weeks after discharge, 5 patients in the intervention group and 7 patients in the control group were rehospitalized. Bedsore developed in one patient in the intervention group and in two patients in the control group. Conclusion: TEMpEST is an applicable, practical intervention model. The TCM-based interventions increase the competence of the caregivers of stroke patients and decrease rehospitalization of patients. Key words: transitional care model, stroke patient, family caregiver, caregiver competence, home care