The expectation towards professional care set by families of patients receiving home mechanical ventilation

Background. Home treatment of chronically ill patients receiving home mechanical ventilation (HMV) makes their families jointly responsible for their care. Those looking after patients are taught nursing skills and instructed how to use a home respirator and monitoring equipment.

Objectives. The authors aimed at estimating the expectation towards professional care set by families of HMV patients.

Material and methods. The study was performed in spring 2013 using an original questionnaire. It included relatives of 93 HMV patients.

Results. There was a highly significant relationship between: domicile and the demand for nursing help (p = 0.003); financial standing and the demand for help from physicians (p = 0.007) and physiotherapists (p = 0.02); the period of using a home respirator and the demand for help from physicians (p = 0.004). There was no significant relationship (p = 0.78) between financial standing and the demand for support from psychologists, carers (p = 0.30) and social welfare (p = 0.06). The demand for physiotherapy and nursing services decreased with the duration of the HMV (p = 0.0003).

Conclusions. 1. There is a significant relationship between domicile and the demand for help from nurses, physicians and physiotherapists. This is associated with a wider range of and an easier access to specialists in bigger towns/cities. 2. There is a significant relationship between a difficult financial situation of patients and their families and a higher demand for nursing care, and between a good financial situation and a higher demand for physiotherapy services. 3. The demand for psychological support significantly increases with the duration of the HMV.