Quality of life assessment in family members of patients with chronic wounds

Publikation: Beitrag in FachzeitschriftForschungsartikelBeigetragenBegutachtung

Beitragende

  • Cornelia Erfurt-Berge - , Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Autor:in)
  • Moritz Ronicke - , Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Autor:in)
  • Tanja Richter-Schmidinger - , Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Autor:in)
  • Felix Walther - , Zentrum für evidenzbasierte Gesundheitsversorgung, Technische Universität Dresden (Autor:in)
  • Regina Renner - , Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (Autor:in)

Abstract

Background: Familial caregivers are often directly involved in treatment of patients with chronic wounds, however, less is known about their personal impairment, and specific support is lacking for these important members of the therapeutic team regarding wound care. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of wound care provided by family members on their quality of life, and to create a suitable questionnaire to describe the affected personal aspects. Materials and methods: A five-part questionnaire, named ELWA, was created by the authors and answered by 30 familial caregivers of 30 respective patients with chronic leg ulcers. Results: One third of the caregivers reported receiving no medical advice about detailed wound care at all. A lack of information regarding details of the disease correlated with personal strain. Additional costs, anxiety, frustration, and reduced sparetime activities were among the top-rated factors affecting quality of life of family members. Conclusion: The results from this newly created questionnaire point out the needs of familial caregivers of patients with chronic wounds and may help to establish individual support. Implementation of clinical treatment strategies is planned through multicentre application.

Details

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Seiten (von - bis)484-489
Seitenumfang6
FachzeitschriftEuropean Journal of Dermatology
Jahrgang29
Ausgabenummer5
PublikationsstatusVeröffentlicht - Sept. 2019
Peer-Review-StatusJa

Externe IDs

PubMed 31649009
Scopus 85075959415

Schlagworte

Schlagwörter

  • Chronic wounds, Family member, Leg ulcer, Quality of life, Wound care