Biomechanical Validation of the CATT

Part of paid clinical trials in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development
Study ID
NCT06013878
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Biomechanics
  • Informal Caregivers
  • Low Back Pain

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Transfer Training with clinician — OTHER
    Participants will undergo transfer training with a clinician who is an expert on assisted transfer techniques if they are found to have skill deficits during the study. After training, a transfer assessment will be conducted to examine if the transfer skills of the caregiver have improved

Study Details

As of 2020, 53 million Americans provide unpaid care to an individual with a disability. One commonly performed activity of daily living (ADL) provided by informal caregivers is assisted transfers, which requires moving an individual from one surface to another. Approximately 94% of informal caregivers who assist with ADLs to persons with adult-onset chronic physical disabilities affecting mobility reported musculoskeletal discomfort, with pain and discomfort made worse by performing caregiving activities. Although many informal caregivers assist with transfers, most have never received any formal training in proper manual lifting or mechanical lifting techniques. Improper transfer techniques can be detrimental to not only caregiver health but also to the persons they assist resulting in shoulder injury, bruising and pain from manual lift techniques, hip fractures from falls, and skin tears from shear force that occurs with sliding during transfers. Current standard of care provides limited in-person training of caregivers, as most of the rehabilitation process is client-focused. When training is provided clinicians have no means to objectively evaluate if proper techniques are being performed at discharge or when the caregiver and care recipient return home. For this reason, an outcome measure called the Caregiver Assisted Transfer Technique Instrument (CATT) was developed to provide a quick, objective way to evaluate proper technique of caregivers who provide transfer assistance to individuals with disabilities. The CATT evaluates the caregiver's performance on setup, quality of the task performance, and results. After a formal assessment through stakeholder review involving clinicians, informal caregivers, and individuals with physical disabilities who require transfer assistance, the CATT was expanded to include two versions; one that evaluates manual lift technique (CATT-M) and one that evaluates mechanical lift techniques (CATT-L). However, the CATT must undergo further testing with informal caregivers and the individuals they assist to determine if the CATT is a reliable, valid, and responsive tool for identifying skill deficits in caregivers performing assisted transfers. The purpose of this study is to establish the psychometric properties (reliability, validity, and responsiveness) of the CATT and to evaluate the effects of an individualized training session for participants who have transfer technique deficits as identified by the CATT. The long-term goal of this research is to develop the CATT so that it can be used as an objective indicator of transfer performance as well as guide training and educational interventions for informal caregivers to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal pain and injury associated with assisted transfers.

Key Dates

Start date
Jul 24, 2024
Status verified
Jul 2025
Primary completion
Sep 1, 2026
Completion
Oct 31, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
160 participants (estimated)

Arms

  • Arm: Informal Caregivers
    Informal caregivers who provide transfer assistance to an individual with a disability
  • Arm: Individuals who use transfer assistance
    Individuals who require assistance with transfers moving from one surface to the other

Primary Outcome Measure

Change in Caregiver Assisted Transfer Technique Instrument (CATT) Scores [ Time Frame: Change from baseline and after intervention at 1 week ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PAPittsburghPennsylvania15240
Alicia M Koontz, PhD
[email protected]
412-383-6596
Nikitha Deepak, MS BS
[email protected]
(412) 822-3669
Alicia M Koontz, PhD (PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR)

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