Ictus cerebrale: studio qualitativo su esperienze e bisogni dei caregivers informali

In Italy stroke is one of the major causes of disability. About 80% of survivors are discharged home, and one year after discharge more than one third of them require the assistance of one or more informal caregivers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences of family carers of stroke patients, both during hospitalization and after discharge, in order to identify their most important needs and key aspects of care which could be better managed by health professionals. The survey was conducted, using narrative interviews, on a sample composed by two groups of caregivers: family members of patients close to be discharged and family members of patients discharged home less than six months before from a stroke rehabilitation center in Turin. The analysis of the interviews led to the identification of seven main themes which highlight the difficulties experienced by the caregivers and their implicit and explicit needs. Two major problems that emerged from these themes were poor communication with medical staff and lack of preparation for the caregiving role at home. The results obtained indicate a number of issues that should be considered by health care professionals in order to improve the assistance provided to family caregivers of stroke survivors; they include monitoring of specific needs, assessment of individual and social resources, training for the new caring role with educational interventions, emotional support during hospitalization and follow-up plans that ensure continuity of care