Mitra Sadigh1, Faith Nawagi2, Majid Sadigh3. 1. Post Baccalaureate Premedical Program, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT. Electronic address: mitrasadigh@gmail.com. 2. Nursing School, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. 3. Western Connecticut Health Network/University of Vermont College of Medicine, Danbury, CT.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The severe deficit of health care workers in Uganda necessitates hospitalized patients to be cared for by a relative. These informal caregivers constitute a crucial component of patient care. Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, is one of the nation's national referral hospitals, receiving very sick patients. Although studies have been conducted on challenges facing informal caregivers in the home setting, no study has addressed the caregiver burden in the hospital setting. METHODS: A survey of 100 randomly selected informal caregivers was conducted in Mulago Hospital's internal medicine wards to evaluate informal caregivers' demographics, impact on patient care, and challenges. RESULTS: Challenges include emotional burdens, lack of sanitation, accommodation, sufficient health workers, finances, and recognition. Recommendations were given to ensure improve informal caregivers' situations. CONCLUSIONS: Despite hardships, informal caregivers recognize the importance of familial presence, thereby setting a new standard for patient care by recreating the comfort of home care in the hospital. Studying the characteristics of these care givers and more fully delineating the sacrifices they make and the challenges they faced provides the basis for a series of recommendations to hospital management aimed both at improved patient care and care of the informal caregiver.
BACKGROUND: The severe deficit of health care workers in Uganda necessitates hospitalized patients to be cared for by a relative. These informal caregivers constitute a crucial component of patient care. Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, is one of the nation's national referral hospitals, receiving very sick patients. Although studies have been conducted on challenges facing informal caregivers in the home setting, no study has addressed the caregiver burden in the hospital setting. METHODS: A survey of 100 randomly selected informal caregivers was conducted in Mulago Hospital's internal medicine wards to evaluate informal caregivers' demographics, impact on patient care, and challenges. RESULTS: Challenges include emotional burdens, lack of sanitation, accommodation, sufficient health workers, finances, and recognition. Recommendations were given to ensure improve informal caregivers' situations. CONCLUSIONS: Despite hardships, informal caregivers recognize the importance of familial presence, thereby setting a new standard for patient care by recreating the comfort of home care in the hospital. Studying the characteristics of these care givers and more fully delineating the sacrifices they make and the challenges they faced provides the basis for a series of recommendations to hospital management aimed both at improved patient care and care of the informal caregiver.
Authors: Yiming Huang; Qaasim Mian; Nicholas Conradi; Robert O Opoka; Andrea L Conroy; Sophie Namasopo; Michael T Hawkes Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2021-06-01