Soen Orthopaedics, Osteoporosis and Rheumatology Clinic, Kobe, Japan.
Amgen K.K., Tokyo, Japan.
J Bone Miner Metab. 2021 Jul;39(4):612-622. doi: 10.1007/s00774-020-01197-9. Epub 2021 Feb 17.
Osteoporotic fractures are the most common serious consequence of osteoporosis. Patients who suffer such fractures often require caregiver assistance afterwards. This study characterized the humanistic burden experienced by family caregivers of patients with osteoporotic fractures in Japan.
Family caregivers were defined as individuals who provided non-professional care to an osteoporotic fracture patient (> 50 years old). Caregivers were asked through an online survey panel about their caregiving situation, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), work impairment, and the health status of their patient. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI-22), 8-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-8), and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Caregiver version (WPAI-CG) were used to better understand the impact of osteoporotic fracture caregiving.
Respondents (n = 309) were family caregivers who were employed (81.6%) and cared for a parent (71.5%). Over 75% of caregivers had HRQoL physical and mental component scores below 50 on SF-8. Although most patients received welfare services (78.3%), the mean ZBI-22 score was 42.2 and 57.0% of caregivers perceived their burden to be moderate or severe (ZBI-22 score ≥ 41). Over half of caregivers changed their employment status due to their caregiving responsibilities and experienced 61.4% overall work impairment. The mean productivity loss for caregivers was estimated to be over 43,000 JPY per week.
The substantial humanistic and financial burden of caregiving by family members to osteoporotic fracture patients should be considered when evaluating the impact of fragility fractures, disease management and support systems for osteoporosis.
骨质疏松性骨折是骨质疏松症最常见的严重后果。患有此类骨折的患者通常在之后需要护理人员的帮助。本研究描述了日本骨质疏松性骨折患者的家庭成员护理人员所经历的人文负担。
家庭护理人员被定义为为骨质疏松性骨折患者（> 50 岁）提供非专业护理的个人。通过在线调查小组向护理人员询问他们的护理情况、健康相关生活质量（HRQoL）、工作障碍和患者的健康状况。使用 Zarit 护理人员负担访谈（ZBI-22）、8 项简短形式健康调查（SF-8）和工作生产力和活动障碍护理人员版本（WPAI-CG）来更好地了解骨质疏松性骨折护理的影响。
受访者（n = 309）是有工作（81.6%）且照顾父母（71.5%）的家庭护理人员。超过 75%的护理人员的 SF-8 身心健康成分得分低于 50。尽管大多数患者都接受了福利服务（78.3%），但平均 ZBI-22 评分为 42.2，57.0%的护理人员认为他们的负担为中度或重度（ZBI-22 评分≥41）。超过一半的护理人员因护理责任而改变了他们的就业状况，并且经历了 61.4%的整体工作障碍。估计护理人员的生产力损失每周超过 43,000 日元。
在评估脆性骨折、疾病管理和骨质疏松症支持系统对患者的影响时，应考虑家庭成员对骨质疏松性骨折患者的护理所带来的巨大人文和经济负担。
