The efficacy of telenursing on caregiver burden among Iranian patients with heart failure: A randomized clinical trial

Heart failure is one of the most common syndromes in the world and Iran. Caring for heart failure patients can cause a burden on their caregivers. Traditional and modern treatment techniques are often used for patients with heart failure. This study was conducted with the aim to "determine the impact of telenursing on short-term caregiver burden of patients with heart failure discharged from hospitals in Iran."

This randomized clinical trial (RCT) was undertaken in Kerman, Iran, in 2018-2019. From among caregivers of patients with minimal grade 2 heart failure, 100 patients were randomly selected to participate in the study. The intervention group, in addition to routine discharge training, received training and care files with videos and related photos via social media every other day for 1 month. The control group received only routine discharge training. The Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS) was completed before and after the intervention in both groups. This scale includes 22 items scored on a Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (almost always). The data were analyzed using SPSS software.

The mean age of the participants was 56.44 ± 13.09 years. The mean caregiver burden score in the control and intervention groups at baseline was 37.26 and 35.58, respectively, and after the intervention, it was 34.56 and 24.28, respectively. A significant difference was found in the 2 groups after the study; the mean caregiver burden score in the intervention group was significantly reduced compared to the control group after the study.

Telenursing reduces the caregiver burden in caregivers of patients with heart failure. Telenursing can be considered as an auxiliary method to control the symptoms associated with heart failure.