Kulich, Hailee R
(2023)
Development of the Caregiver Assisted Transfer Technique Instrument.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Informal caregivers play an essential role in allowing individuals with disabilities to remain active in their homes and communities. However, caregivers who perform assisted transfers have a high risk of developing musculoskeletal pain and injuries. The current standard of care provides little training and education on proper transfer techniques, leaving informal caregivers underprepared to take on the roles and responsibilities associated with transfer-related activities of daily living. To address limitations in training and educational interventions, a tool called the Caregiver Assisted Transfer Technique Instrument (CATT) was developed to provide an objective method to evaluate proper technique of informal caregivers providing transfer assistance. Two research studies aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the CATT, including content validity, reliability, and construct validity of the CATT as a tool for clinical evaluation, and reliability and validity of the CATT as a tool for informal caregiver self-assessment. When assessing content validity after initial development, CATT items were rated favorably for their importance, clarity, and appropriateness of responses, and most items had excellent content validity (k* > 0.75). Feedback from participants led to the creation of two versions of the CATT: one for manual lifting techniques (CATT-M) and one for transfers performed via lift-based technologies (CATT-L). Both versions of the CATT demonstrated acceptable to strong levels of interrater reliability (ICCs: 0.720- 0.872) with varying levels of intrarater reliability (ICCs: 0.266 to 0.926). Individual item reliability varied from weak to strong, indicating the need for revisions on specific items. Concurrent and construct validity assessments revealed that total CATT scores were strongly correlated with Global Rating Scale scores from an expert clinician (r = 0.796; p < 0.001) and total scores correlated with caregiver age, level of education, hours of weekly care, pain, general health, and strength. While the intrarater reliability of the CATT was acceptable when used for self-assessment tool, there was no meaningful agreement between CATT expert raters and informal caregivers on their transfer technique when using the CATT. The results from these studies suggest that the CATT may be a reliable and valid tool for assessing assisted transfer technique of caregivers.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Kulich, Hailee R | hrk6@pitt.edu | hrk6 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
6 June 2023 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
9 March 2023 |
| Approval Date: |
6 June 2023 |
| Submission Date: |
22 March 2023 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
193 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Rehabilitation Science and Technology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
informal caregiver, individuals with disabilities, outcome measure, wheelchair, activities of daily living |
| Date Deposited: |
06 Jun 2023 13:50 |
| Last Modified: |
06 Jun 2023 13:50 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/44306 |
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