Modes of Informed Caring: Perspectives of Health Professionals Who Are Mothers of Adult Children with Schizophrenia

Double-Duty Caregivers' Satisfaction With Healthcare Provider Communication

BACKGROUND

Double-duty caregivers are healthcare professionals caring for family members or friends outside the workplace. Although they may communicate frequently with colleagues in their professional role, little is known about communication with healthcare providers in the caregiving role.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to measure double-duty caregiver satisfaction when communicating with healthcare providers and to identify correlates and predictors of satisfaction.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, nonexperimental, correlational study was used. Participants included registered nurses who were current or former caregivers of a family member or friend aged 50 or older. Correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to examine the associations between double-duty caregivers' personal and professional attributes, factors, and satisfaction with communication.

RESULTS

Double-duty caregivers reported above-average satisfaction with communication. Personal beliefs about caring and trust had the highest influence on satisfaction. Stress was associated with lower satisfaction with communication.

DISCUSSION

This study is the first to examine double-duty caregiver satisfaction when communicating with healthcare providers and associated factors. Healthcare providers must implement strategies to maximize their acknowledgment of personal beliefs about caring and foster the building of trusting relationships to support colleagues in this role.

Self-positioning in the context of double duty caregiving-Secondary analysis of a scoping review

BACKGROUND

The needs and support requirements of double duty caregivers (DDC) by healthcare professionals differ depending on whether they identify themselves as a professional nurse or family caregiver in private care arrangements. Questions of identity are usually not addressed by the DDCs. Resulting misunderstandings have the potential for conflict, which places additional strain on DDCs.

AIM

The aim of this article is to present the essential characteristics of DDCs based on a model corresponding to their identity either as a professional nurse or family caregiver in a private care arrangement.

METHODS

A secondary analysis of 32 articles identified after a systematic literature search for a scoping review on the topic was carried out. A total of 18 articles were included in the qualitative content analysis according to Kuckartz and Rädiker.

RESULTS

A model of Continuum of Self-Positioning of Double Duty Caregivers was developed. It describes the characteristics DDCs show in four contexts: caregiving context, family context, healthcare system context, own workplace. Depending on the understanding of their own role in the different care settings, they are able to develop a better understanding of their identity either as a professional nurse or family caregiver, whereby the transitions are fluid.

CONCLUSION

There are characteristics that can be assigned to the respective presumed identity of the DDCs. Knowing this enables healthcare professionals and family members to interact appropriately with DDCs and thus minimize the potential for conflict.

Corrigendum: Supporting Double Duty Caregiving and Good Employment Practices in Health Care Within an Aging Society

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.535353.].

Supporting Double Duty Caregiving and Good Employment Practices in Health Care Within an Aging Society

Background: Due to the aging society the number of informal caregivers is growing. Most informal caregivers are women working as nurses within a health organization (also labeled as double-duty caregiver) and they have a high risk of developing mental and physical exhaustion. Until now little research attention has been paid to the expectations and needs of double duty caregivers and the role of self-management in managing private-work balance.

Objective: The overall aim of this study was to investigate the expectations and needs of double duty caregivers in Netherlands, and to examine the meaning of self-management in managing work-life balance.

Method: Different research methods have been applied in this exploratory study. Firstly, a scoping review has been conducted on the topics self-management and sustainable employability of double-duty caregivers using the search engines: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Furthermore, a qualitative study has been conducted through focus groups with double duty caregivers.

Results: Twenty studies that met the inclusion criteria (i.e., nurses with double duty caregiving tasks) could be identified. We found that double duty caregivers have different motivations for being a double duty caregiver based on internal and external expectations. Double duty caregiving causes a lot of mental and physical pressure for the caregiver. To be able to combine both duty’s, double duty caregivers need flexibility and understanding from the workplace. Through two focus groups (N = 17) we found that social support from the workplace is not enough to be able to manage the situation. Self-management skills are important to be able to communicate effectively with the workplace and community care organizations about the kind of support needed. Also, health care organizations should offer the same support to double duty caregivers as any other informal caregiver.

Discussion: Double-duty caregivers are at high risk of developing symptoms of overload and risk of reduced self-management quality and employability levels across time. Health care organizations and the double duty caregiver often wait too long to act instead of taking more preventive measures. Furthermore, community care organizations should dialog with double duty caregivers about their wishes concerning the division of caring tasks. This finding calls for special attention, with long-term solutions at both macro (health-care level), organizational (meso-level), and employee level (micro level).