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Talarico R, Marinello D, Manzo A, Cannizzo S, Palla I, Ticciati S, Gaglioti A, Trieste L, Pisa L, Badalamenti L, Randisi G, Del Bianco A, Lorenzoni V, Turchetti G, Mosca M. Being a caregiver of a Behçet's syndrome patient: challenges and perspectives during a complex journey. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021. [PMID: 34663419 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-021-02070-2.pmid:34663419;pmcid:pmc8524918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As often seen in many chronic diseases, the disease impact on patients also induces a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of caregivers. Caregivers are the ones who are really willing to offer care in the general approach of many aspects of the disease, including the awareness of the diseases itself, the daily management of therapy, and all the potential challenges that living with a chronic disease can include. The main objectives of the study were to explore the perspectives and views of caregivers of Behçet's syndrome (BS) patients, to study their level of awareness on the disease and the impact that BS may have on their lives by means of a survey co-designed with caregivers and patients with this purpose. A survey was entirely co-designed with a panel of caregivers of patients living with BS patients. RESULTS Results show that BS caregivers organise their life according to the needs of the patient, that they (79%) considered themselves as helpful for the patient and 53% of them replied that they can freely express their emotions. Notably, 70% and 68% of the respondents reported they renounced with a variable frequency to sexual relationships due to concerns regarding the health of the partner or to the partner's illness, respectively. The majority (79%) of respondents indicated that they are familiar with the treatment taken by the patients and that 68% deal with the administration of some medicines. In terms of awareness, a good percentage (64%) of respondents reported to understand the illness and, in terms of education, 68% of participants are willing to take part in training programmes dedicated to BS. CONCLUSIONS The results of this survey contribute to provide new information on BS caregivers and on their important role, and to identify areas in which new initiatives could provide BS caregivers (and therefore patients) with tools and knowledge that can empower them in reducing the burden of the disease on their lives, on families, and on the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosaria Talarico
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Diana Marinello
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Sara Cannizzo
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilaria Palla
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Simone Ticciati
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Gaglioti
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Trieste
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pisa
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | - Luciano Badalamenti
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | - Girolamo Randisi
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | - Alessandra Del Bianco
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | | | | | - Marta Mosca
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
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Talarico R, Marinello D, Manzo A, Cannizzo S, Palla I, Ticciati S, Gaglioti A, Trieste L, Pisa L, Badalamenti L, Randisi G, Del Bianco A, Lorenzoni V, Turchetti G, Mosca M. Being a caregiver of a Behçet's syndrome patient: challenges and perspectives during a complex journey. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2021; 16:436. [PMID: 34663419 PMCID: PMC8524918 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-021-02070-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background As often seen in many chronic diseases, the disease impact on patients also induces a significant impact on the quality of life (QoL) of caregivers. Caregivers are the ones who are really willing to offer care in the general approach of many aspects of the disease, including the awareness of the diseases itself, the daily management of therapy, and all the potential challenges that living with a chronic disease can include. The main objectives of the study were to explore the perspectives and views of caregivers of Behçet’s syndrome (BS) patients, to study their level of awareness on the disease and the impact that BS may have on their lives by means of a survey co-designed with caregivers and patients with this purpose. A survey was entirely co-designed with a panel of caregivers of patients living with BS patients. Results Results show that BS caregivers organise their life according to the needs of the patient, that they (79%) considered themselves as helpful for the patient and 53% of them replied that they can freely express their emotions. Notably, 70% and 68% of the respondents reported they renounced with a variable frequency to sexual relationships due to concerns regarding the health of the partner or to the partner’s illness, respectively. The majority (79%) of respondents indicated that they are familiar with the treatment taken by the patients and that 68% deal with the administration of some medicines. In terms of awareness, a good percentage (64%) of respondents reported to understand the illness and, in terms of education, 68% of participants are willing to take part in training programmes dedicated to BS. Conclusions The results of this survey contribute to provide new information on BS caregivers and on their important role, and to identify areas in which new initiatives could provide BS caregivers (and therefore patients) with tools and knowledge that can empower them in reducing the burden of the disease on their lives, on families, and on the patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosaria Talarico
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Diana Marinello
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Sara Cannizzo
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Ilaria Palla
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Simone Ticciati
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Gaglioti
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Trieste
- Institute of Management, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Pisa
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | - Luciano Badalamenti
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | - Girolamo Randisi
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | - Alessandra Del Bianco
- Associazione S.I.M.B.A (Associazione Italiana Sindrome E Malattia Di Behçet), Pontedera, Italy
| | | | | | - Marta Mosca
- Rheumatology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana, Via Roma 67, 56126, Pisa, Italy
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