A Heart for the Care: Affect, Kin, and Care Work in a Zambian Hospital

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Medical Anthropology
• Sociology of Health

Background:

• Pediatric patient wellbeing in Zambia relies heavily on informal caregivers known as bedsiders.
• Bedsiders provide essential daily care, including feeding, hygiene, and medical support, functioning as critical human infrastructure.
• This informal labor is unremunerated and physically demanding, yet essential for hospital operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role and significance of bedsiders in a Zambian pediatric hospital.
• To analyze the concept of having a "heart" for caregiving as described by bedsiders and healthcare workers.
• To understand the metaphorical implications of "heart for the work" in the context of informal care labor.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research methods were employed.
• Data was gathered through repeated observations and discussions with bedsiders and hospital staff.
• Analysis draws on Wendland's "heart for the work" metaphor, commonly used in Malawi and Zambia.

Main Results:

• Bedsiders are indispensable to patient care and hospital functioning.
• The "heart" metaphor signifies a deep personal commitment and emotional resilience required for demanding, uncompensated caregiving.
• This highlights the intersection of personal dedication and systemic reliance on informal labor in healthcare.

Conclusions:

• The "heart" metaphor reveals the profound personal investment and emotional labor inherent in bedsider roles.
• Recognizing bedsiders' contributions is crucial for understanding and supporting healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings.
• Further research should investigate formalizing support for informal caregivers in pediatric healthcare.