CAREgiver Study for Patients Undergoing HSCT

A Mixed Methods Descriptive Study Exploring the Needs and Preferences of Caregivers of Patients Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)

The investigators will use a single arm design and deliver a new supportive intervention entitled, "Ready to Connect, Actively Relax and Exercise (CARE)." The purpose of the study is to describe the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of the Ready to CARE intervention. Effectiveness outcomes include caregiver self-efficacy, distress, and coping style, and patient quality of life, symptom burden, and healthcare utilization.

During the first phase of this study, the investigators enrolled caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) into a descriptive study. The investigators used quantitative and qualitative measures to describe the caregivers self-efficacy, distress, and coping style, and solicit their opinions about how to improve our supportive care for caregivers.

Informed by those data, the investigators now will study the effectiveness of the supportive intervention.

The long-term goal of this research is to develop a pragmatic, replicable intervention that supports caregivers and promotes the health and well-being of the caregiver-HSCT patient dyad.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Providing informal, unpaid care for a person who is 18 years of age or older and is scheduled to receive an allogeneic or autologous HSCT within the next three months.
• The caregiver's loved one ("patient") undergoing the transplant will be asked to enroll in the study to provide data regarding quality of life and symptom burden and to allow access of the medical record to ascertain healthcare utilization data. (Caregivers will not be excluded from the study if the patient declines to enroll.)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Under the age of 18 for either caregiver or patient.