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Burden of informal caregiving for stroke patients. Identification of caregivers at risk of adverse health effects.

van Exel NJ, Koopmanschap MA, van den Berg B, Brouwer WB, van den Bos GA

Institute for Medical Technology Assessment, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. vanexel@bmg.eur.nl

BACKGROUND: We assessed the objective and subjective burden of caregiving for stroke patients and investigated which characteristics of the patient, the informal caregiver and the objective burden contribute most to subjective burden and to the condition of feeling substantially burdened. METHODS: We studied a sample of 151 stroke survivors and their primary informal caregivers. We collected data through patient and caregiver interviews 6 months after stroke. RESULTS: Both the level of subjective burden and the condition of feeling substantially burdened were associated with both caregiver's and patient's health-related quality of life, patient's age, and the number of caregiving tasks performed. CONCLUSIONS: These conditions can be used in clinical practice to identify potentially vulnerable caregivers in need of support and at risk of adverse health effects. Monitoring stroke survivors as well as their family caregivers at discharge may help to prevent or alleviate caregiver burden.

Published 3 January 2005 in Cerebrovasc Dis, 19(1): 11-7.
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