The Burden of Informal Care in Patients with Musculoskeletal Health Problems: Results from a Cross-Sectional Population Survey
Author(s)
Hölgyesi Á1, Poór G2, Gulácsi L3, Zrubka Z4, Péntek M3
1Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary, 2National Institute of Rheumatology and Physiotherapy, Budapest, Hungary, 3Óbuda University, Budapest, Hungary, 4Corvinus University of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary
Presentation Documents
OBJECTIVES: Informal care might have both positive and negative impact on caregiver’s life. Negative effects can cause an additional burden to caregivers suffering from musculoskeletal diseases. We aimed to assess musculoskeletal health of both informal caregivers and recipients, as well as the share of formal care. METHODS: An online cross-sectional online survey was performed in 2020 involving a sample representative for the Hungarian adult population [N=2004; women: 53.1%; age (mean): 48.3, SD=16.6 years]. Respondents who received formal or informal care due to musculoskeletal problems or provided informal care were identified with self-administered survey methods. Socio-demographic characteristics, mobility (EQ-5D-5L) and physical functioning (HAQ-DI) were measured. Descriptive statistical methods were applied. Differencies between subgroups were analyzed with Chi-square, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Altogether 238 respondents [11.9%; women: 63.9%; age: mean 50.8, SD 15.2 years] had been providing informal care for >2 weeks, the median care time was 7 hours/week. In the last 3 months 113 respondents [5.6%; women: 61.9%; age: mean 58.0, SD: 11.7] received informal care and 33 [1.6%; women: 39.4%; age: mean 54.6, SD: 15.9] received formal care due to musculoskeletal problems. Need for informal care were reported in further 35 cases [1.7%; women: 45.7%; age: mean 55.4, SD: 14.2]. EQ-5D-5L and HAQ-DI scores were significantly worse among informal caregivers (median 0.887 and 0.250, respectively) and care recipients (median 0.664 and 1.000, respectively) compared to others (median 0.957 and 0.000, respectively). On the Mobility domain of EQ-5D-5L, 52.5% of informal caregivers and 88.5% of informal care recipients reported walking problems. CONCLUSIONS: A substantional proportion of informal caregivers live with musculoskeletal health problems. More people receive informal than formal care due to musculoskeletal disorders. These results provide basic input to identify patient groups affected by informal care and to develop social and healthcare strategies aiming to support informal caregivers.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2021-11, ISPOR Europe 2021, Copenhagen, Denmark
Value in Health, Volume 24, Issue 12, S2 (December 2021)
Code
POSB204
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Novel & Social Elements of Value, Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes
Disease
Musculoskeletal Disorders