The effects of educational short message service messages about emergency scene management on perceived stress and satisfaction among the family caregivers of patients with mental disorders

Abstract

Background and aims: Family caregivers have significant role in managing psychiatric emergencies in the time interval between their request for emergency medical services (EMS) and ambulance arrival at the emergency scene. This study aimed at assessing the effects of educational short message service (SMS) messages about emergency scene management (ESM) on perceived stress and satisfaction among the family caregivers of patients with mental disorders who requested EMS. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2019–2020 using a two-group posttest-only design. Participants were sixty family caregivers of patients with mental disorders in Mashhad, Iran, who called the EMS center and requested EMS. They were continuously recruited and randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group. Participants in the control group received routine educations, while participants in the intervention group received routine educations and SMS-based educations about ESM. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, a researcher-made caregiver satisfaction questionnaire, and the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale. Data analysis was performed via the SPSS software (v. 25.0). Results: Most participants were female (53.3%) and their mean age was 44.30±13.03 years. The mean score of perceived stress in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group (P=0.001), while the mean score of caregiver satisfaction in the intervention group was significantly more than the control group (P=0.001). Conclusion: SMS-based education about ESM is effective in significantly reducing perceived stress and enhancing satisfaction among the family caregivers of patients with mental disorders.

Keywords

• stress
• satisfaction
• caregiver
• prehospital emergency
• psychiatry