[Chronic home-care patients and their primary health care environment]

Describing the primary level of attention to chronic home patients (CHP), their quality or life and the one of their home carers.

Descriptive transverse study.

Teaching Unit of Family of Sestao (Vizcaya) urban environment.

197 CHP patients with subacute, chronic illnesses or in terminal stages or handicapped, that is to say, people who cannot attend the Medical Centre and needing constant home care (longer than 4 weeks) although they do not need to be in hospital at the moment.

A questionnaire made up by the researching group.

April-June 1992.

The clinical histories and home interviews. Mean age (78 +/- 23) years old; 70% were women; average of health problems of patients (4.2 +/- 4); average of drug consumption by patients (3.6 +/- 4); average of one visit to each patient per two months; 75% did not need derivation. The average age of people looking after them was (58 +/- 28) years old and 77.3% of them were women. Their average QL index was (9 +/- 2.4) out of 10, 9.2% had a QL index between 4 and 7 although there was nobody under 3.

We have found an old population, mostly women with an average of health problems of (4.24 +/- 4) and who are polymedicated. 9.4 of them are not looked after by anybody. Generally their homes are habitable enough. In 77.3% of the cases the carers are women and 65.6% do not receive any domiciliary help.