Home Environmental Risks and Caregiver Awareness

June 11, 2026 updated by: Buğu Usanma Koban, Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital

High Prevalence But Low Awareness of Environmental Risks in Home Care: A Cross-Sectional Study

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess home environmental risks and caregiver awareness among individuals receiving home healthcare services. It also examined factors associated with caregivers' awareness of these risks.

The main questions addressed in this study were:

  • How common were environmental risks in home care settings?
  • To what extent were caregivers aware of these risks?
  • Which factors were associated with caregiver awareness of home environmental risks? Participants receiving home healthcare services and their caregivers were evaluated during routine home visits. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and a home environmental risk checklist.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate home environmental risks and caregiver awareness among individuals receiving home healthcare services. Home care settings represent a complex care environment in which patient safety may be compromised by various environmental hazards. Despite the high prevalence of such risks, caregiver awareness and recognition remain limited, which may affect the safety and quality of care delivered in home settings.

The study population consisted of patients who applied to home healthcare services affiliated with a public hospital in Istanbul between January 20 and March 1, 2026, and their caregivers. Participants were evaluated during routine home visits.

Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire and a home environmental risk checklist developed based on existing home safety recommendations. The checklist was used to identify potential environmental hazards within the home setting. In addition, caregivers' awareness of these risks and their perceptions regarding the modifiability of risks were assessed.

Home environmental risks were categorized according to their level of modifiability as easy, moderate, or difficult, based on the type of intervention required. Caregiver-related factors, including prior information, caregiving experience, and sociodemographic characteristics, were also recorded.

The study aimed to describe the frequency of home environmental risks, assess the level of caregiver awareness, and examine factors associated with awareness. In addition, perceived barriers to risk mitigation, such as financial constraints and unsuitable housing conditions, were evaluated to better understand the structural challenges affecting home safety.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

326

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Maltepe
      • Istanbul, Maltepe, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Marmara University School of Medicine

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consisted of caregivers providing care to individuals receiving home healthcare services during the study period. Participants were identified during routine home visits conducted by home healthcare teams and were included based on their role as primary providers of care within the home setting.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Caregivers of individuals receiving home healthcare services during the study period
  • Caregivers who were present during routine home visits
  • Caregivers who agreed to participate and provided informed responses
  • Caregivers without communication barriers (e.g., language-related difficulties)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Caregivers in households where an acute medical condition requiring urgent intervention was present at the time of the visit
  • Caregivers who declined to participate or were unable to complete the assessment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Caregivers in Home Healthcare Settings
Caregivers of individuals receiving home healthcare services, providing information on home environmental risks and awareness during routine home visits.
Other: Observation
No intervention was administered. This observational study involved the assessment of home environmental risks and caregiver awareness during routine home healthcare visits.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Presence of home environmental risks
Time Frame: baseline
The proportion of households with at least one identified environmental risk, including fall-related hazards (slippery floors, inadequate lighting, clutter), risks related to medical device use, and structural safety problems within the home environment, assessed using a structured home safety checklist.
baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Caregiver awareness of home environmental risks
Time Frame: baseline
The proportion of caregivers who correctly reported the presence of environmental risks in the home, based on comparison with risks identified through the structured home safety checklist.
baseline
Barriers to addressing home environmental risks
Time Frame: baseline
Caregiver-reported barriers to addressing environmental risks in the home, including financial constraints, unsuitable housing conditions, and other perceived limitations.
baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 20, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 5, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 11, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 11, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 09.2026.26-0025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared due to privacy considerations and the nature of the data collected in home care settings.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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