Estrés del cuidador informal de pacientes ingresados en un hospital de Guayaquil, año 2023.

Abstract

Informal caregiver stress is an important issue, since it affects both caregivers and patients; its understanding is essential to provide adequate emotional and healthcare support. Objective: Determine the stress of the informal caregiver of hospitalized patients in a hospital in Guayaquil, year 2023. Methodology: descriptive, quantitative, prospective, cross-sectional. Population: 100 informal caregivers from the IEES Los Ceibos Hospital. Technique: Survey, Instrument: Questionnaire and Caregiver Effort Index. Results: Caregiver Effort Index is applied; a high level of effort is manifested (65%). Among the characteristics, there is a predominance of informal caregivers aged 49 to 58 years (42%), female (76%), with secondary academic level (54%), from urban areas (88%), with married marital status. (70%), housewife occupation (52%), mothers of hospitalized patients (46%), who dedicate more than 8 hours a day (44%), for 6 or more years (42%). Among the activities that generate stress, the severity of psychological and behavioral symptoms prevails (25%) and among the diseases that generate stress, cancer stands out (31%). When the Conclusion: Stress in informal caregivers is due to significant changes in their personal lives, which involve alterations in daily routine, time dedicated to this work, the required activities and the patient's own illness; This, together with a substantial level of effort, exerts a considerable impact on the mental, physical and social aspects of the caregiver.