Management of health services according to the experiences of bedridden patients carers

The aim of the study is to examine the experiences of caregivers of bedridden patients and the relationship between these experiences and health services management processes. Convergent parallel mixed design was used in the study. Thanks to the mixed method, the difficulties experienced by caregivers will be addressed from their perspective and will help them make more effective decisions in the field of health management. In the quantitative research design, the care burden scale developed by Zarit et al. in 1980 was used. The differences between the variables related to demographic and health status and burden of care were analyzed. In the qualitative research design, the research was carried out with a semi-structured questionnaire prepared based on the literature. In the quantitative research, 126 people who were the primary caregivers of patients hospitalized in the Palliative Service of Mersin City Hospital participated in the quantitative research, and 20 primary caregivers who were in the same service but were not included in the quantitative research participated in the qualitative research. In the study, it was determined that the care workload of primary school graduates was higher than that of illiterates, and the care workload of individuals with low-income level was higher than that of individuals with high income level. The care workload of individuals with physical, mental, social problems and chronic illnesses was found to be higher. In addition, it was determined that those who had economic difficulties and those who had difficulties in the care process had a higher care burden. As a result of in-depth interviews with 20 caregivers in the qualitative part of the study, the thoughts of caregivers about the burden of caregiving, the meaning of caregiving, what it makes them feel and how they express it were understood. As a result of these interviews, it was seen that the lives of caregivers changed, their psychosocial needs increased, they could not go out of the house much, they were negatively affected physically, socially, psychologically, and economically, their family relationships changed, and they neglected their responsibilities regarding family members. In addition, the participants stated that the home health and care system should be transformed, that they should be treated with a different status and that they should be given privileges in official procedures. In conclusion, this study will make an important contribution to understanding the experiences of caregivers of bedridden patients and the impact of health services management processes on these experiences.