Abstract
BackgroundCaregiver burden is the emotional, physical, practical, and/or financial burden associated with taking care of a patient with a chronic condition. Limited literature on caregiver burden in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) has accounted for some predictors, but its effect on work productivity (absenteeism and presenteeism) is unknown.MethodsIn a prospective study, patients and their respective caregivers were surveyed from November 2015 until July 2017. Data on demographics, work productivity, quality of life, disease activity, caregiver burden and productivity were collected. The burden on caregivers was assessed and associations between caregiver productivity and caregiver burden were analyzed. Additionally, predictors for caregiver burden were identified.ResultsOne hundred two IBD patients and their respective caregiver were included. In total, 39% of IBD caregivers experienced burden. Caregivers with burden experienced significantly more absenteeism and presenteeism (65 and 85% respectively). Furthermore, 51% of caregivers felt that they should be doing more for their care recipient and felt they could do a better job at caregiving. Predictors of burden included race/ethnicity, history of fistulas, diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, higher caregiver education, and hours spent caregiving.ConclusionCaregivers with burden had significantly more productivity decrease compared to those without burden. Additionally, the majority of caregivers feel they should be providing more and better care for their recipients. The development of strategies to address caregiver’s distress and perceived burden when caring for IBD patients is warranted.
Highlights
Caregiver burden is the emotional, physical, practical, and/or financial burden associated with taking care of a patient with a chronic condition
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) patients had difficulty coping with IBD-related limitations in the workplace resulting in increased stresslevels, lower quality of life (QoL) and a higher likelihood of absenteeism and presenteeism, see Fig. 1 [4]
We found that caregivers who cared for a ulcerative colitis (UC) patient were more likely to experience caregiver burden than those who cared for a Crohn’s disease (CD) patient
Summary
Caregiver burden is the emotional, physical, practical, and/or financial burden associated with taking care of a patient with a chronic condition. Limited literature on caregiver burden in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) has accounted for some predictors, but its effect on work productivity (absenteeism and presenteeism) is unknown. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), are chronic immunological digestive diseases generally characterized by frequent abdominal pain and diarrhea with the disease state alternating between remission and exacerbation [1]. IBD patients had difficulty coping with IBD-related limitations in the workplace resulting in increased stresslevels, lower quality of life (QoL) and a higher likelihood of absenteeism (time missed from work due to disease) and presenteeism (being present at work, but less productive due to disease), see Fig. 1 [4]
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