Every family wishes they could provide professional, high-quality care for their elders. Unfortunately, many families end up as caretakers themselves without adequate training.
One faculty member here at the David Eccles School of Business is working to improve patient outcomes and reduce the burdens on family caregivers. Dr. Debra Scammon, Emma Eccles Jones Professor of Marketing, has received a Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to support a project to enhance the integration of family caregivers into the healthcare of elders in Utah. The award was presented to HealthInsight, a nonprofit, community-based organization dedicated to improving health and healthcare. Scammon and Christie North, of Creating Quality, will carry out the work.
“Family caregivers have been under-recognized and largely unsupported by the healthcare system. What they do is difficult and demanding, both logistically and emotionally,” Scammon said. “At some point everyone has been, will be or will need the assistance of a family caregiver. We need to do everything possible to ensure that those caregivers are supported.”
Both family caregivers themselves, Scammon and North are focused on reducing the burdens on family caregivers who are relied upon to perform a variety of medical care tasks without adequate training. By partnering together, primary care providers and family caregivers can enhance care for elders, while enhancing the satisfaction of caregivers and providers. They hope to capitalize on the synergy of primary care providers and family caregivers working together to help reduce the burden and burnout of caring for the elderly.
“This project was selected for Engagement Award funding not only for its commitment to engaging patients and other stakeholders, but also for its potential to increase the usefulness and trustworthiness of the information we produce and facilitate its dissemination and uptake,” said Jean Slutsky, PCORI’s Chief Engagement and Dissemination Officer. “We look forward to following the project’s progress and working with HealthInsight to share the results.”
The HealthInsight project and the other projects approved for funding by the PCORI Engagement Award Program were selected through a highly competitive review process in which applications were assessed for their ability to meet PCORI’s engagement goals and objectives, as well as program criteria. Learn more about PCORI’s funding to support engagement efforts here.