Effect of the programme Plan de egreso on chronically ill patients and their family caregivers. / Efecto del programa Plan de egreso en la díada persona con enfermedad crónica y sus cuidadores familiares.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of the programme Hospitalisation discharge plan for patients with chronic diseases and family caregivers to strengthen their home care competence -CUIDAR- and reduce the caregiver burden. METHOD: Quasi-experimental study approach with intervention group. Participants were 62 patients and their caregivers who consulted with a health care institution in the city of Girardot (Colombia). The intervention was carried out for one month, during which, measurements were performed before and after the programme. RESULTS: Most patients were elderly, diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension or COPD, 35% of them with some degree of dependency. The caregivers were mostly women, between the ages of 35 and 59 years old, domestic caregivers, and responsible for caring for their patients for between 13-24hours a day. At the start of the programme the competency for care was low in both patients and caregivers, after the intervention there was a general increase in care and a statistically significant change. Also, at the beginning, 48% of caregivers had some level of burden, and after the study only 27% reported burden with care. CONCLUSIONS: The Hospitalisation discharge plan is a strategy that increases the home care competency of the patient and the caregiver, and decreases the caregiver burden.

Competencia para cuidar en el hogar de personas con enfermedad crónica y sus cuidadores en Colombia / Competence for Home Health Care in Colombian People with Chronic Ilness and their Caregivers

Antecedentes. La competencia para el cuidado en el hogar es parte de las características fundamentales requeridas en la atención de personas con enfermedad crónica y se describe como la capacidad, habilidad y preparación que tiene el usuario o su cuidador familiar para ejercer la labor de cuidar. Objetivo. Describir y comparar la competencia para cuidar en el hogar de personas con enfermedad crónica, así como la competencia de sus cuidadores familiares para atenderlas en el hogar. Materiales y métodos. Estudio cuantitativo, descriptivo, comparativo y de corte transversal desarrollado entre 2012 y 2014 en las cinco regiones geográficas de Colombia. La muestra está compuesta de 2231 personas con enfermedad crónica y cuidadores familiares. Se emplearon los instrumentos Encuesta de caracterización para el cuidado de una diada persona con enfermedad crónica-cuidador familiar y Competencia para cuidar en el hogar GCPC-UN-CPC, versión paciente y cuidador familiar. Del mismo modo, se utilizó estadística descriptiva para analizar la competencia para cuidar en el hogar y sus dimensiones a partir de los niveles de estratificación alto, medio y bajo; para la comparación se utilizaron pruebas no paramétricas en muestras independientes. Resultados. Tanto las personas con enfermedad crónica como los cuidadores familiares tienen niveles heterogéneos de competencia para cuidar en el hogar en las diferentes regiones del país. En ambos casos los niveles superiores se encuentran en la Región Amazónica y los más bajos en la Pacífica. Estos niveles de competencia para cuidar en el hogar distan de ser adecuados para garantizar la calidad y seguridad que se requiere. Conclusión. Los indicadores de cuidado continuo deben tener en cuenta la diada receptor-cuidador familiar y abordar el talento humano, las instituciones y al mismo sistema general de seguridad social en salud para modificar una realidad que, de no ser atendida, resultará agobiante para el país.

Background. The competence for home health care is part of the fundamental features required when taking care of people with chronic disease. It is described as the ability, the skill and the preparation the user or their family caregiver possesses in order to perform the work of caring. Objective. To describe and compare the competence for home health care in Colombian people with chronic illness and their family caregivers in the different regions of Colombia. Materials and Methods. Quantitative, descriptive, comparative and cross-sectional study conducted between 2012 and 2014 in the five geographical regions of Colombia. The sample consists of 2231 participants including people with chronic illness and family caregivers. The measurement instruments used were the Survey for the characterization of the caring Dyad patient - family caregiver GCPC-UN-D, and the Home health care competence instrument "GCPC-UN-CPC", both in its patient and family caregiver versions. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the home health care competence. For comparison of the groups nonparametric tests for independent samples were used. Results. People with chronic illness and their family caregivers have heterogeneous levels of home health caring competence in the different regions of Colombia. In both cases the higher levels are found in the Amazon region, while the lowest are found in the Pacific region. These levels of home health care competence are far away from the required ones to ensure quality and safety in the care of these patients. Conclusion. The indicators for the evaluation of home health care competence must address patients and their family caregiver as well as the health human talent, health institutions and the Social Security System in order to understand in a better way and change the current vulnerability in home health care practices in the country.