Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Niger Postgrad Med J. 2023 Apr-Jun;30(2):119-125. doi: 10.4103/npmj.npmj_15_23.
Caregivers play an important role in informal patient management. Identification of the support types and the financial challenges faced by caregivers will provide information on strategies to ease this burden. This study aimed to describe the support types and financial burden amongst caregivers in a tertiary hospital in North Central Nigeria.
This was a cross-sectional study conducted amongst caregivers of inpatients in a tertiary hospital in North Central Nigeria. Data were collected using a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire and were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences package version 23. Results were reported in frequencies and proportions and presented in prose, tables and charts.
A total of 400 caregivers were recruited. The mean age was 38.32 ± 12.82 years and most (66.0%) were females. Caregivers supported their patients by running errands (96.3%) and 85.3% reported caregiving as stressful. The reported errands were purchase of medications (92.3%), supply of non-medical needs (63.3%), submission of laboratory samples and collection of results (52.3%) and service payment (47.5%). About two-thirds (63.2%) reported loss of income while caregiving and about half (50.8%) provided financial support to the patients.
This study suggests that majority of caregivers experience significant physical and financial burden while caregiving. This burden can be eased off by the simplification of payment and laboratory processes and employment of more staff to support patients admitted to the wards. The financial burden experienced by caregivers reinforces the need to encourage more Nigerians to enrol in a health insurance scheme.
照顾者在非正规患者管理中发挥着重要作用。确定照顾者的支持类型和面临的经济挑战将为缓解这一负担提供策略信息。本研究旨在描述尼日利亚中北部一家三级医院照顾者的支持类型和经济负担。
这是一项在尼日利亚中北部一家三级医院住院患者照顾者中进行的横断面研究。使用经过预测试的访谈者管理问卷收集数据，并使用社会科学统计软件包 23 版进行分析。结果以频率和比例报告，并以散文、表格和图表形式呈现。
共招募了 400 名照顾者。平均年龄为 38.32±12.82 岁，大多数（66.0%）为女性。照顾者通过跑腿（96.3%）为患者提供支持，85.3%的人报告照顾工作有压力。报告的跑腿工作包括购买药物（92.3%）、供应非医疗需求（63.3%）、提交实验室样本和收集结果（52.3%）以及支付服务费用（47.5%）。约三分之二（63.2%）的照顾者在照顾期间失去收入，约一半（50.8%）为患者提供经济支持。
本研究表明，大多数照顾者在照顾患者时会经历重大的身体和经济负担。通过简化支付和实验室流程以及雇用更多的工作人员来支持住院患者，可以减轻这种负担。照顾者所经历的经济负担强调了需要鼓励更多的尼日利亚人参加医疗保险计划。
