Family caregivers’ satisfaction with home care for mental illness in Taiwan

Abstract

In Taiwan, family caregivers play a crucial role in the treatment of patients with mental illness. Attention to family caregivers' satisfaction with home care for mental illness could have a significant impact on the well-being of family caregivers, as well as on the health of the patients with mental illness for whom they care. A descriptive, cross-sectional design has been used to assess the level of family caregivers' satisfaction with home care for mental illness since the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan, and to identify the family caregivers' unmet needs for home care in cases of mental illness. Data were collected using the self-administrated questionnaire completed by a convenience sample of 75 primary family caregivers of the patients with mental illness from a psychiatric hospital in Taipei, Taiwan. The result showed that most family caregivers were highly satisfied with home care provided to them and their relative with mental illness. Timeliness of home care provided in an emergency was the most prevalent unmet need. The implementation of the NHI has improved family caregivers' perceptions of costs of home care services. There is a need to improve NHI policy and home care programmes to provide more holistic services for the patients with mental illness and their family.