Objectives

Although the importance of home caregivers of chronic kidney disease patients has been increasingly recognized, their perceived caregiving difficulties and requisites remain underexplored. This study investigated the challenges and needs of home caregivers of hemodialysis patients in the Philippines.

Methods

We utilized a mixed-method (QUAN + qual), explanatory sequential design. Data were collected from July 2017 to May 2018 from 46 home caregivers of hemodialysis patients. A three-part researcher-made survey were developed from literature search, personal values and cultural context, while some items were generated from a standardized tool that measures caregiver infrastructure and needs of those caring from frail US veterans. The tool developed gathered the participants' profile, caregiving characteristics, and related needs. The tool was validated and pretested for reliability. Fifteen participants were also interviewed to explore caregiving challenges and needs. Descriptive and χ² statistics were used for quantitative outcomes, while thematic analysis was employed for qualitative data.

Results

Participants provided moderate assistance to patients, spending an average of 10.65 h/day and 5.08 days/week in caregiving. The most difficult caregiving circumstances were having costly expenses (78.26%); missing work (50.00%); and experiencing negative feelings (47.83%), stress (43.48%), and physical difficulties (34.78%). They also had the lowest confidence in deciding when to contact health providers (x̅ = 3.31, SD = 0.94) and finding patient care services (x̅ = 2.93, SD = 1.08). Qualitative findings further revealed caregiving needs and challenges in cost management, physical and psychological health, assumption of multiple roles, lifestyle adjustment, and reinforcement of carer knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

Conclusion

Supportive strategies are needed to address the challenges encountered by home caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Findings can be utilized in developing appropriate interventions for home caregivers in low-resource settings where home caregiving and healthcare system issues, such as lack of access to resources and social support, are prevalent.