Carepartner experiences with hospital care.

OBJECTIVES

Family members and other "carepartners" often play an important role in the care and support of patients during and after hospitalization, yet little is known about how they assess their hospital experience or the factors that may influence their perceptions.

METHODS

A nationwide telephone survey of 1,800 recently discharged patients and their carepartners about their hospital experience was conducted. Carepartner responses in six domains of care were summarized, and multivariable regression analysis was used to detect independent predictors of more frequent problem reports by carepartners.

RESULTS

Carepartners reported problems most frequently in the domains of emotional support (23.9%), discharge planning (20.3%), and family participation (17.6%). Independent predictors of more frequent carepartner problem reports included poor subjective patient health status, emergency hospitalization, nonsurgical admission, carepartner income less than $7,500/year, younger carepartner age, noninvolvement of the patient's regular doctor, less frequent carepartner visits during the hospitalization, and less time spent with the patient after discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Better awareness of the problems carepartners experience and attention to improving quality in these areas may facilitate family involvement in patient care and enhance carepartner and patient satisfaction.