“A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving
Informal caregivers support relatives in healthcare facilities globally. However, their involvement in hospitalization care while residing in and around the hospital is more prevalent in under-resourced settings. This article examined the challenges and multifaceted consequences of hospital-based in...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580241302005 |
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| author | Kudus Oluwatoyin Adebayo PhD Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun PhD Mofeyisara Omobowale PhD Marisa Casale PhD Rukayat Usman MA Atinuke Olujimi MSc Funmilayo Omodara MPH |
| author_facet | Kudus Oluwatoyin Adebayo PhD Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun PhD Mofeyisara Omobowale PhD Marisa Casale PhD Rukayat Usman MA Atinuke Olujimi MSc Funmilayo Omodara MPH |
| author_sort | Kudus Oluwatoyin Adebayo PhD |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Informal caregivers support relatives in healthcare facilities globally. However, their involvement in hospitalization care while residing in and around the hospital is more prevalent in under-resourced settings. This article examined the challenges and multifaceted consequences of hospital-based informal caregiving in a Nigerian tertiary health facility. The study adopted a non-experimental exploratory research design and ethnographic and qualitative techniques were used to collect data from 75 participants, comprising 21 informal caregivers, 15 inpatients, 36 hospital staff, and 3 ad-hoc/paid caregivers. The challenges identified include: physical health effects and infection risks; livelihood and economic impact; mental health effects; inadequate access to basic services; exposure to safety risks and violence; conflict and barriers within the health system; and social impact. These challenges have negative consequences on informal caregivers, including heightening their vulnerability to poor health and burdening them economically and socially. Informal caregivers play a crucial role in under-resourced settings. Policymakers should create a supportive healthcare environment that meets their needs, ultimately improving the overall quality of care provided in tertiary health facilities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c406f87a49894f56b502d8289b02e10e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0046-9580 1945-7243 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| spelling | doaj-art-c406f87a49894f56b502d8289b02e10e2025-08-20T01:53:32ZengSAGE PublishingInquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing0046-95801945-72432024-11-016110.1177/00469580241302005“A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal CaregivingKudus Oluwatoyin Adebayo PhD0Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun PhD1Mofeyisara Omobowale PhD2Marisa Casale PhD3Rukayat Usman MA4Atinuke Olujimi MSc5Funmilayo Omodara MPH6School of Public Health, University of The Witwatersrand, South AfricaInternational Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP), UKInstitute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, NigeriaSchool of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, South AfricaDepartment of Sociology, University of Ibadan, NigeriaDepartment of Sociology, University of Ibadan, NigeriaInstitute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, NigeriaInformal caregivers support relatives in healthcare facilities globally. However, their involvement in hospitalization care while residing in and around the hospital is more prevalent in under-resourced settings. This article examined the challenges and multifaceted consequences of hospital-based informal caregiving in a Nigerian tertiary health facility. The study adopted a non-experimental exploratory research design and ethnographic and qualitative techniques were used to collect data from 75 participants, comprising 21 informal caregivers, 15 inpatients, 36 hospital staff, and 3 ad-hoc/paid caregivers. The challenges identified include: physical health effects and infection risks; livelihood and economic impact; mental health effects; inadequate access to basic services; exposure to safety risks and violence; conflict and barriers within the health system; and social impact. These challenges have negative consequences on informal caregivers, including heightening their vulnerability to poor health and burdening them economically and socially. Informal caregivers play a crucial role in under-resourced settings. Policymakers should create a supportive healthcare environment that meets their needs, ultimately improving the overall quality of care provided in tertiary health facilities.https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580241302005 |
| spellingShingle | Kudus Oluwatoyin Adebayo PhD Oluwaseyi Dolapo Somefun PhD Mofeyisara Omobowale PhD Marisa Casale PhD Rukayat Usman MA Atinuke Olujimi MSc Funmilayo Omodara MPH “A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing |
| title | “A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving |
| title_full | “A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving |
| title_fullStr | “A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving |
| title_full_unstemmed | “A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving |
| title_short | “A Person Taking Care of the Sick is also a Sick Person”: Challenges and Consequences of Hospital-Based Informal Caregiving |
| title_sort | a person taking care of the sick is also a sick person challenges and consequences of hospital based informal caregiving |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/00469580241302005 |
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