The Effect of Education through Telenursing on the Caregiver Burden among Family Caregivers of COVID-19 Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Purpose. Family caregivers are under a lot of burden during the treatment of patients with COVID-19. This study aimed at determining the effect of education through telenursing on the caregiver burden among family caregivers of COVID-19 patients. Design and Methods. This was a randomized clinical trial that was performed on 66 caregivers of COVID-19 patients discharged from Vasei Hospital, Sabzevar, Iran, during 6 months from March to August 2021. The research units were selected using the convenience sampling method and were randomly allocated to two groups, intervention and control, by using permutation blocks. The training workshop and telenursing were conducted in the experiment group, and the control group received only usual care. Novak and Guest care burden scale and demographic questionnaire were collected online by caregivers before and one month after the intervention. Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 24 and paired t-test, independent t-test, Fisher’s exact test, chi-square tests, and covariance analysis. The significance level of the tests was considered to be 5%. Findings. After training the intervention group, the mean caregiver burden before and one month after the intervention was significantly decreased compared to the control group ( $p$ < 0.001). The groups show a significant difference only in terms of educational resources ( $p$ = 0.005). The results of analysis of covariance for the total caregiver burden score in post-test indicated that the mean values of the caregiver burden score between the two groups were statistically significant ( $p$ < 0.05). Practice Implications. Telenursing has suggested that health care managers put the telenursing process by creating appropriate policies and careful planning.