Lung Transplant READY CF 2: CARING CF Ancillary RCT

Study Summary

Lung transplant is an option for treating end-stage lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). In the United States, more people with CF and low lung function die each year than undergo lung transplant. More than half of people with CF who die without a lung transplant were never referred for consideration. Patient preference not to undergo lung transplant may account for 25-40% of decisions to defer referral. Patients' health discussion networks function to support individuals in health related matters and may provide critical support during the lung transplant journey. Increasing awareness of lung transplant, and promoting the process of deliberation and utilization of social support, could reduce the number of people with CF who die without lung transplant. Additionally, the most common patient-endorsed barrier to lung transplant discussions is a worry about being a burden on family and friends after lung transplant. For lung transplant recipients with complex post-operative courses, low social support is associated with increased mortality. Additionally, adequate social support is a requirement at all lung transplant programs in the US. Investigators are interested in understanding how caregivers may benefit from using lung transplant educational resources and how caregivers prepare for having discussions with their loved ones and/or helping them make decisions about lung transplant as a treatment option for advanced CF. The purpose of this study is to test whether an investigator-designed research website compared to no caregiver intervention reduces caregiver burden (assessed with the Brief Assessment Scale for Caregivers, BASC), caregiver preparedness for lung transplant discussions, and caregiver lung transplant knowledge as an ancillary study in a multicenter RCT. Further, investigators will assess patient perceptions of caregiver support as measured by the Social Support Effectiveness Questionnaire (SSE-Q) and evaluate caregivers' willingness to provide suppo

Primary Outcome

The co-primary endpoint is an intention-to-treat assessment of the difference in caregivers' mean change in Brief Assessment Scale for Caregivers (BASC) in the intervention versus control arms of the study from the 3-month to the 6-month study visit using linear mixed models. The BASC is a validated 14-item measure of caregiver burden and includes subscales that reflect positive personal impact (PPI) and negative personal impact (NPI) of caregiving responsibilities. The BASC includes a 4-point L

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Investigator-designed lung transplant education website

Study Locations (1)