Effectiveness of a Physical Therapeutic Exercise Programme for Caregivers of Dependent Patients: A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial from Spanish Primary Care

Abstract

Female family caregivers (FFCs) constitute one of the basic supports of socio-health care for dependence in developed countries. The care provided by FFCs may impact their physical and mental health, negatively affecting their quality of life. In order to alleviate the consequences of providing care on FFCs, the Spanish Public Health System has developed the family caregiver care programme (FCCP) to be applied in primary care (PC) centres. The effectiveness of this programme is limited. To date, the addition of a physical therapeutic exercise (PTE) programme to FCCP has not been evaluated. A randomised multicentre clinical trial was carried out in two PC centres of the Spanish Public Health System. In total, 68 FFCs were recruited. The experimental group (EG) performed the usual FCCP (4 sessions, 6 h) added to a PTE programme (36 sessions in 12 weeks) whereas the control group performed the usual FCCP performed in PC. The experimental treatment improved quality of life (d = 1.17 in physical component summary), subjective burden (d = 2.38), anxiety (d = 1.52), depression (d = 1.37) and health-related physical condition (d = 2.44 in endurance). Differences between the groups (p < 0.05) were clinically relevant in favour of the EG. The experimental treatment generates high levels of satisfaction.

Depression, Anxiety and Antidepressants and Anxiolytics Use in Spanish Informal Caregivers according to the Physical Activity Frequency: EHSS 2014–2020

“…Thus, caregivers who did not engage in PA suffered from mental health disorders and consumed drugs decreased in 2020 compared to 2014. In this line, several studies have shown an association between PA and mental health status related to symptoms of depression [ 32 ] and anxiety [ 33 ] in caregivers [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. A higher PA is associated with better mental health status, and walking improves symptoms compared to inactivity, although activity at a moderate and/or vigorous intensity is an even greater improvement [ 22 ].…”

Effects of a Family Caregiver Care Programme in Musculoskeletal Pain and Disability in the Shoulder-Neck Region—A Randomised Clinical Trial

“…A randomised controlled clinical trial was performed between February and May 2017. The study was implemented in Valladolid in two medical centers (Pilarica and Circular PC), and the sample was recruited in the study entitled Effectiveness of a Physical Therapeutic Exercise Programme for Caregivers of Dependent Patients: A Pragmatic Randomised Controlled Trial from Spanish Primary Care [39]. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee for Clinical Research (CEIC) of Valladolid-East Health Area (CEIC: PI-13-88) before the onset of the study, and was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with the identifying code NTC03675217.…”

“…The research team performed the evaluations. The evaluations consisted of selfadministered questionnaires and a functional test battery [39]. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups: control group and intervention group.…”

“…Finally, a physical exercise programme has been proposed from primary care physiotherapy on health-related quality of life, musculoskeletal pain, and healthy physical condition in family caregivers of dependent patients. An improvement in quality of life, and a decrease in subjective burden, anxiety, and depression have been achieved [39].…”

Musculoskeletal Pain in Family Caregivers: Does a Therapeutic Physical Program in Primary Care Work? A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…Therefore, and based on the research carried out in our first study [29], the objectives of this study were to determine and characterize musculoskeletal pain in FFCs, as well as to assess the effects of adding a therapeutic exercise program to an FCCP of the SACYL on the quality of life, physical condition, and psychological well-being of FFCs. Finally, we analyzed correlations between the initial situation of the caregivers and changes in the outcome variables.…”