IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/syspar/v33y2020i2d10.1007_s11213-019-09486-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Flaminia Reale

    (Politecnico di Milano)

  • Federica Segato

    (Politecnico di Milano)

  • Daniela Tartaglini

    (Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome)

  • Cristina Masella

    (Politecnico di Milano)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Flaminia Reale & Federica Segato & Daniela Tartaglini & Cristina Masella, 2020. "Action Research as a Method to Find Solutions for the Burden of Caregiving at Hospital Discharge," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 33(2), pages 167-185, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:33:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11213-019-09486-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11213-019-09486-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11213-019-09486-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11213-019-09486-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brunton, Margaret & Jordan, Claire & Fouche, Christa, 2008. "Managing public health care policy: Who's being forgotten?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(2-3), pages 348-358, December.
    2. Courtin, Emilie & Jemiai, Nadia & Mossialos, Elias, 2014. "Mapping support policies for informal carers across the European Union," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 84-94.
    3. Dujardin, Claire & Farfan-Portet, Maria-Isabel & Mitchell, Richard & Popham, Frank & Thomas, Isabelle & Lorant, Vincent, 2011. "Does country influence the health burden of informal care? An international comparison between Belgium and Great Britain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 73(8), pages 1123-1132.
    4. Keziban Avcı & Songül Çınaroğlu & Mehmet Top, 2017. "Perceptions of Pediatric Nurses on Ethical Decision Making Processes," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 30(1), pages 67-84, February.
    5. Louise Bélanger & Anne Bourbonnais & Roxanne Bernier & Monique Benoit, 2017. "Communication between nurses and family caregivers of hospitalised older persons: a literature review," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(5-6), pages 609-619, March.
    6. van Exel, Job & de Graaf, Gjalt & Brouwer, Werner, 2008. "Give me a break!: Informal caregiver attitudes towards respite care," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 73-87, October.
    7. MacFarlane, Anne & Singleton, Carrie & Green, Eileen, 2009. "Language barriers in health and social care consultations in the community: A comparative study of responses in Ireland and England," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(2-3), pages 203-210, October.
    8. Dieckmann, Peter & Patterson, Mary & Lahlou, Saadi & Mesman, Jessica & Nyström, Patrik & Krage, Ralf, 2017. "Variation and adaptation: learning from success in patient safety-oriented simulation training," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101889, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    9. Bremer, Patrick & Cabrera, Esther & Leino-Kilpi, Helena & Lethin, Connie & Saks, Kai & Sutcliffe, Caroline & Soto, Maria & Zwakhalen, Sandra M.G. & Wübker, Ansgar, 2015. "Informal dementia care: Consequences for caregivers’ health and health care use in 8 European countries," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(11), pages 1459-1471.
    10. Dalila Cisco Collatto & Aline Dresch & Daniel Pacheco Lacerda & Ione Ghislene Bentz, 2018. "Is Action Design Research Indeed Necessary? Analysis and Synergies Between Action Research and Design Science Research," Systemic Practice and Action Research, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 239-267, June.
    11. Dorthe Gaby Bove & Ann‐Britt Zakrisson & Julie Midtgaard & Kirsten Lomborg & Dorthe Overgaard, 2016. "Undefined and unpredictable responsibility: a focus group study of the experiences of informal caregiver spouses of patients with severe COPD," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(3-4), pages 483-493, February.
    12. Exel, Job van & Graaf, Gjalt de & Brouwer, Werner, 2007. "Care for a break? An investigation of informal caregivers' attitudes toward respite care using Q-methodology," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(2-3), pages 332-342, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bom, Judith & Stöckel, Jannis, 2021. "Is the grass greener on the other side? The health impact of providing informal care in the UK and the Netherlands," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    2. Laia Calvó-Perxas & Joan Vilalta-Franch & Howard Litwin & Oriol Turró-Garriga & Pedro Mira & Josep Garre-Olmo, 2018. "What seems to matter in public policy and the health of informal caregivers? A cross-sectional study in 12 European countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Estrada Fernández, Mª Eugenia & Gil Lacruz, Ana I. & Gil Lacruz, Marta & Viñas López, Antonio, 2019. "Informal care. European situation and approximation of a reality," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(12), pages 1163-1172.
    4. Calvó-Perxas, Laia & Vilalta-Franch, Joan & Litwin, Howard & Mira, Pedro & Garre-Olmo, Josep, 2021. "A longitudinal study on public policy and the health of in-house caregivers in Europe," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(4), pages 436-441.
    5. Urwin, Sean & Lau, Yiu-Shing & Grande, Gunn & Sutton, Matt, 2021. "The extent and predictors of discrepancy between provider and recipient reports of informal caregiving," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 277(C).
    6. Kaschowitz, Judith & Brandt, Martina, 2017. "Health effects of informal caregiving across Europe: A longitudinal approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 72-80.
    7. Virginia Rodrigo-Baños & Marta del Moral-Pairada & Luis González-de Paz, 2021. "A Comprehensive Assessment of Informal Caregivers of Patients in a Primary Healthcare Home-Care Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-14, November.
    8. Alexia Athanasopoulou & Mark De Reuver, 2020. "How do business model tools facilitate business model exploration? Evidence from action research," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(3), pages 495-508, September.
    9. Normand Carpentier, 2013. "Entry Into a Care Trajectory," SAGE Open, , vol. 3(2), pages 21582440134, June.
    10. Fiorillo, Damiano & Nappo, Nunzia, 2014. "Volunteering and perceived health. A European cross-countries investigation," MPRA Paper 72313, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    11. Österlind, Jane & Hansebo, Görel & Lindqvist, Rikard & Ternestedt, Britt-Marie, 2009. "Moving on a roundabout at the end of life--What counts?: Waiting times for transfer to sheltered accommodation for older people in Sweden," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 183-188, July.
    12. van Exel, Job & de Graaf, Gjalt & Brouwer, Werner, 2008. "Give me a break!: Informal caregiver attitudes towards respite care," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 73-87, October.
    13. Marina A. Kartseva & Anatoly A. Peresetsky, 2023. "Sandwiched women: Health behavior, health, and life satisfaction," Russian Journal of Economics, ARPHA Platform, vol. 9(3), pages 306-328, October.
    14. Tami Saito & Naoki Kondo & Koichiro Shiba & Chiyoe Murata & Katsunori Kondo, 2018. "Income-based inequalities in caregiving time and depressive symptoms among older family caregivers under the Japanese long-term care insurance system: A cross-sectional analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(3), pages 1-13, March.
    15. Peña-Longobardo, L.M. & Rodríguez-Sánchez, B. & Oliva-Moreno, J., 2021. "The impact of widowhood on wellbeing, health, and care use: A longitudinal analysis across Europe," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    16. Yoko Moriyama & Nanako Tamiya & Akira Kawamura & Thomas D Mayers & Haruko Noguchi & Hideto Takahashi, 2018. "Effect of short-stay service use on stay-at-home duration for elderly with certified care needs: Analysis of long-term care insurance claims data in Japan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(8), pages 1-11, August.
    17. Melanie Wagner & Martina Brandt, 2018. "Long-term Care Provision and the Well-Being of Spousal Caregivers: An Analysis of 138 European Regions," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(4), pages 24-34.
    18. Hunter-Jones, Philippa & Sudbury-Riley, Lynn & Chan, Jade & Al-Abdin, Ahmed, 2023. "Barriers to participation in tourism linked respite care," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    19. Patricia M. Davidson & Martha Allison Abshire & Glenn Paull & Sarah L. Szanton, 2018. "Family caregivers: Important but often poorly understood," Journal of Clinical Nursing, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(23-24), pages 4242-4244, December.
    20. Carrino, L.; & Nafilyan, V.; & Avendaño Pabon, M.;, 2019. "Should I Care or Should I Work? The Impact of Working in Older Age on Caregiving," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 19/23, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:syspar:v:33:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11213-019-09486-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.