ABSTRACT
Nowadays, mental illnesses are gradually increasing and so does chronic psychiatric patients. As a result of this increase, chronic psychiatric disorders lead the burden of patients and their families. To reduce the burden of mental illnesses on individuals and their families, treatment and care are given including psychosocial, physiological and medical support and social services. To begin with, home care enables both the patient and his or her family to stay at their own houses and not to be bothered with residents or long-term, institutional-based nursing homes. In addition, the home care providers deliver services to the patient's at their own house. The other advantages of taking care at home is that it eases financial issues in terms of reducing the cost, reduces the patient's symptoms and improve the individual's quality of life [QoL]. In addition to these, home care also minimizes the burden on outpatient services and provides help for the patient and the family in order to solve their problems and give support. Home care services help patients to get their freedom back and enhance the quality of their lives. Thus, it is necessary to procure and implement these services and supply both the patient and his or her family a high-quality life. Sources of data/ study selection: Literature review was done by using the keywords "home care, patient with chronic mental illness, quality of life, home care nursing" from the sources including Psych INFO, PsychARTICLES, MEDLINE, PubMED, EBSCOHOST and The COCHRANE LIBRARY in the time period of 2005- 2015
ABSTRACT
Objective: This randomized-controlled experimental study was conducted to determine the effects of psychoeducation in the inpatient clinic and regular telepsychiatric follow-up [via telephone] after discharge on emotional expression, depression and family burden of primary caregivers of the schizophrenic patients
Methods: This study was performed on 62 caregivers of the schizophrenic patients, assigned to experiment [n=32] and control [n=30] groups, from 1[st] July 2010 to 31[st] May 2011. The Scales for Expressed Emotion, the Beck Depression and the Zarit Family Burden were applied for the caregivers in experiment and control groups before education, after education and after 6-months telephone follow-up
Results: The mean scores of the caregivers in experiment group on family burden, emotional expression and depression were decreased after education and after telephone follow-up and difference was significant [p < 0.001]
Conclusions: Psychoeducation and telepsychiatric follow-up via telephone induced decrease in family burden, emotional expression and depressive symptoms for their caregivers and was a support for the family in the patient care