Hajek André, Lehnert Thomas, Wegener Annemarie, Riedel-Heller Steffi G, König Hans-Helmut
Department of Health Economics and Health Services Research, Hamburg Center for Health Economics, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
BMC Res Notes. 2017 Aug 10;10(1):382. doi: 10.1186/s13104-017-2717-3.
It is most likely that the need for long-term care increases considerably in the next decades due to demographic shifts. Thus, we aimed at identifying the preferences for characteristics of professional long-term caregivers among old age individuals in Germany.
Data were gathered from a population-based survey of the German population aged 65 and above in 2015 (n = 1006).
It was important for individuals in old age that long-term caregivers were 'empathetic, kind' (99.3%), 'punctual, reliable' (98.2%), have an 'orderly appearance' (96.4%), work in a 'small team' (92.5%) and have 'enough time' (91.5%). Moreover, while most of the individuals (76.5%) reported high preferences for 'German language', the preferences were lower for 'same cultural background' (54.2%) and 'same gender' (35.7%). In multiple logistic regressions, preferences for 'same gender' were positively associated with being female [OR 8.3 (5.6-12.1)], living with partner or spouse [OR 1.4 (1.0-1.9)], and being born abroad [OR 1.8 (1.1-3.1)]. Preferences for 'German language' were positively associated with being female [OR: 1.5 (1.1-2.1)]. Preferences for 'same cultural background' were positively associated with age [OR 1.0 (1.0-1.1)], living with partner or spouse [OR 1.4 (1.0-1.9)], and East Germany [OR 1.9 (1.3-2.7)]. Preferences for 'orderly appearance', 'empathetic, kind', 'punctual, reliable' and 'small nursing team' were all not significantly associated with included independent variables, whereas preferences for 'enough time' were positively associated with being female [OR 1.9 (1.1-3.5)], living with partner or spouse [OR 1.9 (1.1-3.4)], education [Apprenticeship, full-time vocational school, OR 3.1 (1.3-7.6)], not providing care for family/friends [OR 1.9 (1.1-3.3)], and involvement in the issue of need for care [OR 1.3 (1.1-1.6)].
Our data suggest that it is important to almost every individual aged 65 and above in Germany that professional long-term caregivers are (i) empathetic, kind, and understanding, (ii) punctual and reliable, (iii) have enough time (e.g., for conversation), (iv) and have an orderly appearance. Furthermore, several factors such as gender or region were found to be associated with preferences for characteristics of caregivers. By knowing these factors, nursing services can tailor their activities to the needs of care-recipients.
由于人口结构变化，未来几十年对长期护理的需求很可能会大幅增加。因此，我们旨在确定德国老年人对专业长期护理人员特征的偏好。
数据来自2015年对德国65岁及以上人群进行的一项基于人口的调查（n = 1006）。
对于老年人来说，长期护理人员“有同理心、和蔼可亲”（99.3%）、“准时、可靠”（98.2%）、“外表整洁”（96.4%）、在“小团队”工作（92.5%）以及“有足够时间”（91.5%）很重要。此外，虽然大多数人（76.5%）对“德语”有较高偏好，但对“相同文化背景”（54.2%）和“相同性别”（35.7%）的偏好较低。在多项逻辑回归中，对“相同性别”的偏好与女性[比值比8.3（5.6 - 12.1）]、与伴侣或配偶同住[比值比1.4（1.0 - 1.9）]以及出生在国外[比值比1.8（1.1 - 3.1）]呈正相关。对“德语”的偏好与女性[比值比：1.5（1.1 - 2.1）]呈正相关。对“相同文化背景”的偏好与年龄[比值比1.0（1.0 - 1.1）]、与伴侣或配偶同住[比值比1.4（1.0 - 1.9）]以及东德地区[比值比1.9（1.3 - 2.7）]呈正相关。对“外表整洁”、“有同理心、和蔼可亲”、“准时、可靠”和“小型护理团队”的偏好与纳入的自变量均无显著关联，而对“有足够时间”的偏好与女性[比值比1.9（1.1 - 3.5）]、与伴侣或配偶同住[比值比1.9（1.1 - 3.4）]、教育程度[学徒、全日制职业学校，比值比3.1（1.3 - 7.6）]、不照顾家人/朋友[比值比1.9（1.1 - 3.3）]以及参与护理需求问题[比值比1.3（1.1 - 1.6）]呈正相关。
我们的数据表明，对于德国几乎每一位65岁及以上的老年人来说，专业长期护理人员具备以下几点很重要：（i）有同理心、和蔼可亲且善解人意；（ii）准时可靠；（iii）有足够时间（例如用于交流）；（iv）外表整洁。此外，发现性别或地区等几个因素与对护理人员特征的偏好有关。了解这些因素后，护理服务机构可以根据受护理者的需求调整其活动。
