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Health risks of primary caregivers to severely ill patients: Awareness and preventive treatment among primary care physicians and the primary caregivers themselves
Researchers: Yaacov Bachner1, Sara Carmel1, Biderman Aya1
- Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Background: Care of severe chronic patients places a heavy burden on primary caregivers, manifested in impaired health. Implications of burden are especially difficult for elderly caregivers. Studies indicate that caregivers and especially elderly are at high risk for physical, emotional and cognitive morbidity, and even mortality.
Objectives: To assess the extent that caregivers are aware of caregiving health risks and their attitudes about preventive behaviors; To examine whether and to what extent there is awareness among primary care physicians of the need for detecting, tracking, and preventative care of elderly primary caregivers of severely ill patients.
Method: The convenient sample included 202 primary caregivers to severely ill family members and 201 primary care physicians that were interviewed all over the country by experienced interviewers.
Findings: Caregivers' awareness to their health vulnerability due to the caregiving burden was relatively low. Caregivers' awareness to caregiving health risks was explained by six variables: level of care burden, caregiver self rated health, severity of patient illness, gender, number of children, and relationship of caregiver to patient. Physicians' awareness to caregivers' health risks due to caregiving was relatively high and many reported that they often recommend preventive actions to avoid deterioration of health. The physician's field of specialty and the country in which he/she completed medical school explained physicians' awareness to health risks.
Conclusions: The level of caregivers' awareness to health vulnerability due to caregiving is lower than the high level of physicians' awareness to caregiving health risks.
Recommendations: Staff members of medical and social service systems should be aware of health risks facing caregivers of severely ill patients. Resources should be allocated to support these caregivers as well as addressing the unique needs of different caregivers groups.
Research number: R/162/2014
Research end date: 12/2016