Family caregivers' experience with healthcare and social care professionals and their participation in health checkups: A cross sectional study in Japan

Abstract

Background For family caregivers, who are generally regarded as a vulnerable population, having regular checkups is a desirable health behavior. This study examined family caregivers' habit of having regular checkups prior to becoming involved with professionals who care for patients, and whether they had had recent checkups. We then examined the association between family caregivers' experience with professionals and their participation in checkups after adjusting for the past habit. Methods We conducted a cross sectional survey in Japan between November and December 2020. We recruited family caregivers who were aged 40–74 years and caring for community‐dwelling adult patients. The outcome variable was whether family caregivers had undergone any health checkups since April 2019. We assessed family caregivers' experience using the Japanese version of the Caregivers' Experience Instrument (J‐IEXPAC CAREGIVERS). Results Of the 1091 recruited family caregivers, 629 were included in the analysis. Of these, 358 had previously undergone regular checkups, and 158 had no checkups or selected the option “unknown.” Outcome rates in each group were 74.6% and 43.0%, respectively, and 62.0% for all 629 caregivers. Multivariate modified Poisson regression analysis revealed that among the J‐IEXPAC CAREGIVERS scores, only the domain score for attention for the caregiver was significantly associated with family caregivers' participation in checkups (adjusted prevalence ratio per 1 SD increase = 1.07; 95% CI 1.01–1.14). Conclusions Among family caregivers' experience with professionals, the factor that focused on caregivers themselves was significantly associated with their participation in checkups. This finding underscores the significance of caregiver‐focused care.

Association between family caregivers' primary care experience when they report as patients and their stress related to caregiving: A pilot cross‐sectional study

“…Study participants were eligible for the survey if they were aged between 40 and 74 years, and were caring for a care recipient who had been using LTCI for ≥1 year. The reasons for setting these inclusion criteria are detailed in a previous paper 15 …”

“…Family caregivers were excluded from the study under two conditions: if they answered ≥2 questionnaires per person because a family caregiver caring for two or more people was instructed to only answer questions related to the care of the most dependent person; and if provided care with a frequency of “once or less in several days,” 16 because those who provide less frequent care were considered to be more heterogeneous. These criteria are the same as studies from the survey 15,17 . Family caregivers without a usual source of care were also excluded from the study, as required by the scale assessing primary care experience (see below).…”

“…These criteria are the same as studies from the survey. 15 , 17 Family caregivers without a usual source of care were also excluded from the study, as required by the scale assessing primary care experience (see below).…”