A Pilot Trial Evaluating Collaborative Healthcare Encounters with Caregivers: A Checklist-based Intervention for Primary Care

Key findings used in wiki

• CHEC is a two-part intervention: a 7-item paper checklist the caregiver completes before the visit to flag their top concern, and a matching clinician tip sheet for addressing that item during the visit. Checklist items cover understanding the patient's health conditions and treatments, managing medications, providing personal care, coping with caregiving stress, health care finances, communicating with providers, and arranging health-related services.
• The checklist is written at a 7th-grade reading level and takes under 5 minutes to complete, supporting a "name one priority before you walk in" approach rather than an open-ended list.
• In a pilot randomized trial (N=52 dyads), visit length did not increase (CHEC 31.4 min vs. usual care 31.8 min; p=.55), but CHEC visits spent a significantly greater share of time on the caregiver's stated concern (32.9% vs. 18.9%; p=.04).
• Caregivers using CHEC reported the checklist was useful and easy to complete, and reported significantly greater post-visit knowledge of relevant support resources, plus slightly higher self-efficacy in primary care interactions.
• The evidence base motivating CHEC (cited within) links structured caregiver participation to better treatment adherence, satisfaction, and health service use, and reflects an American College of Physicians call to include family caregivers in visit-agenda setting.