Abstract
The objective of this study was to establish the validity and reliability of the Professional Caregivers' Burden Index (PCBI), a new measure of burden for professionals who work with patients with Alzheimer's disease. In phase 1, content validity was examined; in phase 2, the 24-item instrument was administered to professional caregivers on specialty dementia care units at a long-term care facility in New England. In phase 3, mean staff PCBI scores were found to increase significantly at 3 and 9 months following a reduction of approximately 5% in staffing levels at a dementia care program. These initial data on the PCBI suggest that it may be used as a valid and reliable measure of burden among professional caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease.