La información sanitaria en el ámbito del paciente inmovilizado y su cuidador

Resumen

Introduction. Old age determines a new stage in life driving to new social, psychological and physical changes that many times leads to a process of dependency and immobility that make them require home care. This is where caregivers are given a great importance. The clinical relations are characterized by a deliberative process of communication that results in a decision-taking process that materializes in giving an informed consent. Therefore, the information provided to the patient demands specific nuances that must be analyzed. Objectives. To analyze the degree of understanding and the perception of the immobilized patient and his caregiver, of the healthcare information provided by medical professionals, as well as other rights in the health sector. Materials and methods. An observational research has been made in the Health Center Area I, situated in Espinardo (Murcia) during the period between the first of October, 2016 until March, 2017. The opinions of 224 subjects were analyzed (112 immobilized patients, all aged 65 or more, and 112 caregivers). Two independent questionnaires with closed questions were design. The first was addressed to the immobilized person and the second to the caregiver. They were filled separately, and they collected information about socio-democratic and clinical variables, related to the attention, the process of clinic information and the right to information. The average age among the immobilized patients of our data sample is 83,27±0,73 years, and the caregivers 53,72±1,32 years old. Results. The elderly people in our sample show a pluri-pathology with predominance of affections of the locomotor system and the endocrine system. Most patients express that they know the cause of their immobilization, but a 66,28% know it only partially. We have found that in the 50% of the situations it is the caregiver who goes to the health center to deal with the patient problems and get the treatment for the person he takes care of. They both refer, in a percentage superior to a 90%, to understand the information given by the health professional when transmitted in easy to understand terms. A 73,2% of the time it is the caregiver who transmits all this information to the patient. To both, caregiver and patients, the rating of the information received is positive, being better rated the information provided by the nursing professionals. Conclusions. A complex framework of relations have been observed, constituted by health professionals, immobilized patients and their caregivers, where many sources and communication flow occur. It is essential to attend the special conditions of vulnerability of immobilized patients by means of clinical personalization and by being conscious that the main receptor of clinical information must be the patient.