Action Research as a Method to Find Solutions for the Burden of Caregiving at Hospital Discharge

Flaminia Reale (), Federica Segato, Daniela Tartaglini and Cristina Masella
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Flaminia Reale: Politecnico di Milano
Federica Segato: Politecnico di Milano
Daniela Tartaglini: Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome
Cristina Masella: Politecnico di Milano

Systemic Practice and Action Research, 2020, vol. 33, issue 2, No 3, 167-185

Abstract: Abstract The role played by family caregivers in delivering long-term care is crucial: they enhance the quality of care perceived by the patients and support the shift to out-of-hospital care. However, taking care of a relative entails a huge burden that usually begins with the patient’s hospital discharge and may mean that caregivers become patients in need of care as well. Owing to socio-demographic trends, informal caregiving is the most important source of care in community settings; hence targeting the caregivers’ burden properly is crucial. This study explores how action research (AR) can be used to develop new hospital practices to manage the burden borne by family caregivers when patients are discharged from hospital. The 7-month-long action research reported in this paper consisted of three stages (burden identification, burden sharing, and burden management) and it was conducted in a teaching hospital in Rome (Italy). Both quantitative (surveys) and qualitative (focus groups and simulation sessions) techniques were used to engage participants. The AR demonstrates that there is a feasible way in which hospital managers can address proactively the caregivers’ needs in the hospital discharge process, to the advantage of the patients and the entire community.

Keywords: Family caregiver; Caregiver burden; Action research; Discharge process; Hospital management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1007/s11213-019-09486-9

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