A Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation and Cost-Utility Evaluation of a Support Programme for Informal Carers of People With Dementia in Primary Care (EsCuidar2) (EsCuidar2)

October 21, 2026 updated by: Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina

School of Caring: Evaluation of the Effectiveness, Implementation and Cost-Utility of a Support Programme to Improve the Quality of Life of Carers of People With Dementia in Primary Care

The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the School of Caring programme improves quality of life and reduces caregiver burden among informal carers of people living with dementia. The study will also examine how the programme is implemented in primary care settings and assess its economic efficiency.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Does participation in the School of Caring programme improve the quality of life of informal carers of people with dementia? Does the programme reduce the negative impact and burden associated with caregiving? What factors facilitate or hinder the implementation of the programme in primary care centres? Is the programme cost-utility compared with usual care?

Researchers will compare informal carers who participate in the programme with carers who receive usual care.

Participants will:

Take part in nine face-to-face group sessions (one every two weeks) delivered in primary care centres.

Receive health education, information about social and community resources, practical guidance for daily care, physiotherapy and nutritional support, and strategies to promote self-care and emotional well-being.

Share experiences with other carers and participate in peer support activities. Complete study assessments to measure quality of life, caregiver burden and other relevant outcomes throughout the study period.

The study will also collect information on programme implementation and resource use to evaluate the feasibility, sustainability and economic impact of integrating the intervention into routine primary care practice.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

200

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Spain
    • Tarragona
      • Tortosa, Tarragona, Spain, 43500
        • Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Terres de l'Ebre
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Alessandra Q Gonçalves, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • José F Sáez, PhD
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Claudia C Romeu, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ester G Espelta, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Nuria Brunet
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Laura Bel
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Georgina Cardona
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Evelin Mascarell
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Rosa D Llorca, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Itziar Atxutegi
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Misericordia Carles
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Maria José Pérez

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

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being an informal caregiver for a person with dementia (ICD-10 codes: G31.84 Cognitive impairment, F03.90 Dementia, F01.5 Vascular dementia, G30 Alzheimer's dementia);
  • Being an informal caregiver for a person with a dependency level of 1 or 2, or a pending dependency assessment, in the Tierras del Ebro region (Catalan Health institute);
  • Being of legal age;
  • Being available to participate in in-person sessions.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Being an informal caregiver for an institutionalized patient;
  • Having difficulty completing a questionnaire.

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

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention group of the School of Caring Programme

The programme will be delivered in Primary Care Centre (PCC) training facilities and will consist of two components:

  1. Basic programme: Nine face-to-face theoretical and practical sessions will be delivered fortnightly. The programme will include health education, guidance on social and community resources, cognitive behavioural therapy, problem-solving, skills training, physiotherapy support, and nutritional counselling. Group sessions will be facilitated by a multidisciplinary team comprising professionals from family medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, nutrition, social work, and psychology. Prior workshop-based training will be provided to standardise session delivery.
  2. Ongoing programme: Following completion of the nine core sessions, each Primary Care Centre (PCC) will be encouraged to continue the programme on a fortnightly basis, indefinitely, as part of routine clinical practice.
Other: School of Caring Programme

School of caring is a program for informal caregivers of people with dementia that stands out from other programs by offering a service close to the community and through the leadership of public primary care in a region of Catalonia characterized by scattered rural areas.
No Intervention: Control group

Participants allocated to this group will receive an individual consultation with a primary care family physician or nurse. Care will be tailored to the caregiver's specific needs and will not follow a standardised protocol. Topics that may be addressed include health education, psychological support, and social care-related concerns.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Health-Related Quality of Life Assessed by the Short Form-36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2) at 4.5 and 12 Months
Time Frame: Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) will be assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2 Health Survey; QualityMetric/Optum), a validated self-administered questionnaire comprising 36 items covering eight health domains: physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health. The SF-36v2 will be scored using the QualityMetric norm-based scoring algorithm, generating scores for the eight health domains and the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS). Norm-based scores are standardized against the reference population, with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10; higher scores indicate better health-related quality of life. The SF-36v2 will be completed by all participants.
Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change from Baseline in Caregiver Burden Assessed by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) at 4.5 and 12 Months
Time Frame: Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.

Caregiver burden will be measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), a validated self-administered instrument assessing the perceived impact of caregiving on emotional, physical, social, and financial well-being. The commonly used 22-item version yields a total score ranging from 0 to 88. Higher scores indicate greater caregiver burden, with increasing scores reflecting increasing levels of perceived burden.
Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.
Change from Baseline in Self-Efficacy Assessed by the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) at 4.5 and 12 Months
Time Frame: Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.

Self-efficacy will be measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), a validated 10-item questionnaire designed to assess an individual's perceived ability to cope with challenging situations and manage difficulties effectively. Total scores range from 10 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived self-efficacy.
Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.
Change from Baseline in Mental Well-Being Assessed by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) at 4.5 and 12 Months
Time Frame: Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.

Mental well-being will be assessed using the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS), a validated 14-item instrument covering positive affect, psychological functioning, and interpersonal relationships. Total scores range from 14 to 70, with higher scores indicating greater positive mental well-being.
Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.
Change from Baseline in Perceived Social Support Assessed by the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) at 4.5 and 12 Months
Time Frame: Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.

Social support will be measured using the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3), a brief validated instrument consisting of three items assessing the availability of close relationships, concern and interest from others, and access to practical support. Total scores range from 3 to 14, with higher scores indicating stronger perceived social support. Scores of 3-8 indicate poor social support, 9-11 moderate social support, and 12-14 strong social support.
Baseline, 4.5 months (end of the basic programme), and 12 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina

Collaborators

Institut Català de la Salut
University Rovira i Virgili
Servicio Gallego de Salud
Biobizkaia Health Research Institute

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Claudia C. Romeu, PhD, Catalan Institute of Health

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 (Estimated)

November 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 1, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 1, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

October 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 26, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 21, 2026

Last Verified

October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 26/231-P

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

As the project collects sensitive health data from participants, individual data will not be shared. Aggregated data that do not allow for the identification of individuals will be shared upon request to the principal investigator.

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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