Evaluating a negotiation training program for family caregivers of older people using a Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) design and protocol.

Traditional clinical trial designs such as the isolated two-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) do not offer robust solutions for evaluating and optimizing delivery of complex, multi-component behavioral interventions. A recent alternative design, the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST), addresses many shortcomings of the isolated two-arm RCT. The MOST framework for trial design provides researchers opportunities to perform independent evaluations of intervention content, dosage levels, delivery formats, and potential intra-intervention interactions. Results from factorial trials which implement MOST frameworks are used to optimize ongoing interventions.Herein, we describe the protocol for a MOST RCT which evaluates NegotiAge, an artificial intelligence-based negotiation and dispute resolution training program for family caregivers of older adults. Many family caregivers experience conflicts as they support older adult care recipients. Teaching negotiation skills to family caregivers has potential to improve communication and resolve conflicts more efficiently. The trial evaluation of NegotiAge eschews traditional two-arm RCT design and instead employs the MOST framework. Our MOST trial tests eight treatment combination packages against one another and evaluates associations between specific treatment combinations and user-centered outcomes.This research is the first to apply the MOST framework in geriatrics and family caregiving. Our use of the MOST framework to evaluate and optimize NegotiAge enables us to identify which components are most effective for family caregivers and isolate the interactional effects of each component. The protocol and eventual results of our MOST trial will demonstrate how to optimize an intervention to be efficient and potent for busy family caregivers of older adults. Trial registration ID: NCT04837937.