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Medication incidents and informal caregiver burden: A cross-sectional study
P Ballester1, E Gil-Hernández2, C Pérez-Esteve2
1Atenea Research Group, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research, Alicante, Spain; Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition, Department of Clinical Pharmacology, UCAM Catholic University of Murcia, Guadalupe (Murcia), Spain.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential association between medication-related safety incidents in home care settings reported by informal caregivers and their emotional burden levels.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among informal caregivers of senior patients aged over 65 years requiring daily care. Participants completed the 7-item Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale and self-reported medication safety incidents.
Results:
In total, 176 participants responded. Medication safety incidents were reported by 25.6% of them. Caregiver burden was independently associated with a higher likelihood of self-reported medication safety incidents, with an odds ratio of 2.16 (95% CI: 1.03-4.50), after adjusting for caregiving hours. In addition, male sex was also independently associated with increased risk, with an odds ratio of 2.29 (95% CI: 1.06-4.98).
Conclusions:
This study shows that caregiver burden is associated with self-reported medication-related incidents in home care. Targeted interventions that promote informal caregiver well-being may reduce safety incidents and enhance the sustainability of informal care. This study suggests that training programs should address medication safety using gender-sensitive strategies and incorporate tools to alleviate caregiver burden. Trial registration NCT05885334 (date 2023-06-01).
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