The Study - mySupport

Methodology

The Adapted ‘Family Carer Decision Support’ booklet will be disseminated and implemented in six countries (Canada, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Czech Republic, and Italy) across two care homes per country (n=12) using a multiple case study design approach. A case study approach will allow in-depth insight into the implementation process used to support the uptake of the educational intervention. Factors that act as barriers and facilitators to the implementation process will be identified within each care home.

We will use a formative design, generating hypotheses about the mechanisms that will lead to successful implementation, testing and refining these hypotheses by introducing the intervention into the care homes sequentially. The experiences and learning from the first wave (n=6) will influence the implementation approaches taken in the second wave (n=6). A mixed methods sequential data collection approach is required to capture and make sense of the complexity of implementation and effectiveness of the booklet (educational intervention).

A Logic Model and TIDieR checklist have been created to outline the intervention in more detail.

mySupport Study Logic Model

mySupport study TIDieR checklist

Dissemination Activities:

Conference presentations

Hartigan I, Brazil K, Kaasalainen S, Sussman T, Van Der Steen J, Loucka M, Di Giulio P, Meehan E, Cornally N. (2019) mySupport: A Transnational Effectiveness-Implementation Study of the Family Carer Decision Support Intervention to Improve End of Life Care in Long-Term Care. 67^th Annual & Scientific Meeting of the Irish Gerontological Society. 26 – 28 September, Cork, Ireland. Age and Ageing, Volume 48, Issue Supplement_3, September 2019, Pages iii17–iii65, https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afz103.216

Brazil, K. (2019) Implementing the Family Carer Decision Support (FCDS) Intervention to Improve end of life care in care homes: Planning a transnational effectiveness-implementation study. https://www.alzheimer-europe.org/Conferences/The-Hague-2019/Detailed-programme-and-abstracts

Publications

BRAZIL, K., CARTER, G., CARDWELL, C., CLARKE, M., HUDSON, P., FROGGATT, K., McLAUUGHLIN, D., PASSMORE, P., KERNOHAN, W.G. (2018). Effectiveness of Advance Care Planning with Family Carers in Dementia Nursing Homes: A Paired Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Palliative Medicine, 32(3); pp 603-612. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0269216317722413

Timeline

Study carried out: April 2019 – ongoing (36 months duration)