DIFFICULTIES OF THE INFORMAL CAREGIVER IN THE CONTEXT OF HOME HOSPITALIZATION IN PORTUGAL

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594852417099

• Palavras-chave: Caregiver, home care services, nursing, person-centered care.

• Keywords: Caregiver, home care services, nursing, person-centered care.

• Abstract:

  In Portugal, there has been an increase in the number of informal caregivers (ICs), whose importance has grown in the partnership of nursing care in the context of home hospitalization (HD). For this reason, a study was carried out with the following objectives: to characterize the sociodemographic profile of the ICs of people hospitalized in HD; to identify the ICs' difficulties; and to implement improvement strategies. This study was carried out in two stages: The first involved a descriptive study for situational diagnosis and the second the creation and implementation of a leaflet aimed at socio-financial support needs. A questionnaire was administered with sociodemographic data and the Index for assessing caregiver difficulties. Data was analyzed using SPSS® and ethical standards were met. 10 IC participated (7 female), with an average age of 62.60±17.64 [32;82] years. Of these, 60% had not been to school or had only completed the 1st cycle of schooling. 50% were unemployed/retired and 40% earned less than the national minimum wage. The main technical difficulty was handling the infusion pumps/syringes. But it was in the socio-financial context that the greatest difficulties were identified. From this study, it emerges that IC of people admitted to HD need support to mitigate their needs, requiring a multidisciplinary approach.