RESUMO
Introduction: Caring for the chronically ill at home is a particularly demanding process that can place a great burden on the caregiver. International and Greek studies underline and confirm this problem. In addition, family caregivers are not supported by the health systems of the different countries, especially in Greece, where the system relies mainly on the family to care for these patients, which is even more challenging during the Covid-19 pandemic. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychological burden of family caregivers of the chronically ill and the outcomes of care for these individuals. It also aims to assess the intensity of burden and changes in quality of life of family caregivers by demographic characteristics. Methods: The sample of the study was a random sample and consisted of 102 family caregivers of chronically ill patients registered in home care of "Metaxa" hospital. The scales (BAKAS/BCOS) and (HADS) were used for data collection. SPSS 25 statistical package was used for statistical analysis of the results. Results: The results of the study, calculated with the BCOS scale, show a low burden (-0.93) of family caregivers, patients with chronic diseases and moderate depression and anxiety. The results of the analysis associate the intensity of family caregiver burden with increased levels of anxiety and depression. The factors that affect burden are gender, with women having higher burden, living with the patient, and low education level. According to the HADS anxiety scale, family caregivers had an average score of 11, indicating a moderate level of anxiety, and for depression, the average score was 10.4, also indicating a moderate level of depression. The results indicate that the state needs to support family caregivers and take immediate action to create structures and implement actions to help families continue in their difficult roles in a pain-free manner.
RESUMO
Background The COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the way healthcare is delivered in most healthcare systems around the world. It is now known that, in addition to the medical and economic impact of the pandemic on societies, there is another unmet medical need due to the difficulties and barriers that have existed and may still exist in the provision of health services at the primary care level in public hospitals. In Greece, there appears to have been a similar problem in citizens' access to health care in the country's public hospitals, which negatively affected the satisfaction of outpatients and significantly prevented them from receiving the medical care they needed. Methods This study relied on two international questionnaires; the Visit Specific Satisfaction (VSQ-9), an instrument measuring patients' satisfaction with their visit to the physician, and the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire Short-Form (PSQ-18), consisting of 18 questions measuring both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The questionnaires were collected electronically between 01.03.22 and 20.03.22 from two hundred and three outpatient residents of the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Greece. Results The results of the study show that satisfaction of hospital outpatient department users is positively influenced by both access to medical care after the last visit (p=0.008 < 0.05) and frequency of visits (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.178, p=0.012). In addition, lower satisfaction with access to care was found among participants with the lowest income (p=0.010) and those with a chronic illness (p=0.002), which was attributed to pandemic limitations in access to health care services in public hospital outpatient departments. Regarding the overall satisfaction of participants, 40.9% were dissatisfied, and 32.5% were dissatisfied with specific hospital services. Conclusions It was found that patients were hindered from accessing medical care in the hospital due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic. This seemed to cause problems both in accessing a specialist and in making appointments. Half of the outpatients in the sample reported having difficulty communicating with the hospital to make an appointment or to access medical services in general. A relationship was also found between patient satisfaction and the quality of services provided, in terms of medical services offered, such as their availability, and patient satisfaction with the appropriate information they receive from physicians during the pandemic period. The study also found that long-term care hospitals need to improve patient satisfaction with existing medical services.
RESUMO
The aim of this study is to assess the quality of life of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) by evaluating their physical and psychological well-being as well as their social and spiritual functioning. The 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and quality of life core 30 (QLQ-C30) questionnaires were used to measure the quality of life of people receiving checkpoint inhibitors. An attempt was also made to make a rough estimate of the cost of checkpoint inhibitors in selected cases. The present study was conducted at the Oncology Day Hospital of the General University Hospital of Patras and the sample consisted of 100 subjects. The results of the two questionnaires show that the subjective evaluation of the patient's quality of life is satisfactory and functional since most of the respondents evaluate their quality of life as good to very good. Regarding the duration of immunotherapy, their health status seems to have improved, as 49% of respondents report having no pain, while the QLQ-C30 shows that 93% of patients have no problems with personal hygiene. Important determinants related to the limitation of work and daily activities were influenced by patients' age and marital status. Finally, age, monthly income, and education level seem to exert a general influence on a person's physical condition.