Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39136596›Full record

ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2024

Is more care recipient time at home also a family caregiver-centered quality of life measure?

Courtney H Van Houtven, Karen M Stechuchak, Paul A Dennis, Kasey Decosimo, Chelsea L Whitfield, Nina R Sperber, S Nicole Hastings, Megan Shepherd-Banigan, Brystana G Kaufman, Valerie A Smith

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Measuring health spillover effects in household members of adolescents and elderly individuals with health issues in China.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Courtney H Van HoutvenCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Karen M StechuchakCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Paul A DennisCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Kasey DecosimoCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0070-2454
Chelsea L WhitfieldCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Nina R SperberCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
S Nicole HastingsCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Megan Shepherd-BaniganCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Brystana G KaufmanCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6553-0406
Valerie A SmithCenter of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Funding

Improving Analysis of Endogenous Multimodal Treatments for Use in Geriatrics Health Outcomes StudiesI01HX002237 · VA · VA BOSTON HEALTH CARE SYSTEM · PI GARRIDO, MELISSA M · 2018 to 2021
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Durham Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT)I50HX002733 · VA · DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER · PI HASTINGS, SUSAN NICOLE · 2024 to 2024
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HSR&D Merit Review Research Career Scientist AwardIK6HX003396 · VA · DURHAM VA MEDICAL CENTER · PI VAN HOUTVEN, COURTNEY HAROLD · 2021 to 2025
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HSRD VA CIN 13-410HSRD VA I50 HX002733HSRD VA IK6 HX003396HSRD VA SDR 02-237U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs CDA-17-006U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs RCS-21-137U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs RVR 19-472
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTime in healthcare facilities is associated with worse patient quality of life (QoL); however, impact on family caregiver QoL is unknown. We evaluate care recipient days not at home-days in the emergency department (ED), inpatient (IP) care, and post-acute care (PAC)-to understand how care recipient days not at home correspond to family caregiver QoL.

methodsSecondary data were linked to care recipient utilization data. Elastic net machine learning models were used to evaluate the impact of a single day of utilization in each setting on binary QoL outcomes. We also compared composite weighted and unweighted "days not at home" variables. Two time periods, 6 and 18 months, were used to predict three caregiver QoL measures (self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and subjective burden).

resultsIn the 6-month timeframe, a single day of ED utilization was associated with increased likelihood of poor QoL for all three assessed outcomes (range: 1.4%-3.2%). A day of PAC was associated to a modest degree with increased likelihood of caregiver burden (0.2%) and depressive symptoms (0.1%), with a slight protective effect for self-rated health (-0.1%). An IP day had a slight protective effect (-0.2 to -0.1%). At 18 months, ED and IP had similar, albeit more muted, relationships with caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. PAC had a slight protective effect for caregiver burden (-0.1%). Cumulative days in all settings combined generally was not associated with caregiver QoL.

conclusionWhereas total care recipient time away from home had some negative spillovers to family caregivers, the countervailing effects of unique settings on caregiver QoL may mask net QoL effects. This finding limits the utility of a single care recipient home time measure as a valid caregiver-centered measure. Considering cumulative care recipient time in individual settings separately may be needed to reveal the true net effects on caregiver QoL.

Indexed as

CaregiversQuality of LifeAgedAged, 80 and overCaregiver BurdenDepressionEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTime Factorscaregiver‐centered outcomesfamily caregiverquality of lifeutilizationveterans

Identifiers

PMID39136596
PMCPMC11647572

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.