Table 5.
Caregiver telephone survey: POD 7
| Question | Number of caregivers |
|---|---|
| If employed, did you need to take more time off from work than originally anticipated? | Yes: 2 No: 39 |
| If yes: | |
| Did you need to take any additional/extra days off from work than originally scheduled? | Yes: 1 No: 9 |
| Were these paid or unpaid days? | Paid: 2 Unpaid: 0 |
| How much did taking care of the patient interfere with your daily routine? | Not at all: 20 A little: 17 Moderately: 5 A great deal: 1 |
| In thinking of what you could have done if you didn’t have to care for the patient, how much do you feel you sacrificed? | Not at all: 20 A little: 12 Moderately: 8 A great deal: 3 |
| Did taking care of the patient place any burden on your own immediate family? | Yes: 3 No: 37 |
| Would you please tell us whether any of the following items that other people have found to be difficult after somebody comes home from the hospital applied to you while taking care of the patient? | |
| Sleep was disturbed | Yes: 18 No: 25 |
| It was inconvenient | Yes: 8 No: 35 |
| It was a physical strain | Yes: 17 No: 26 |
| It was confining | Yes: 20 No: 23 |
| There were family adjustments | Yes: 16 No: 27 |
| There were changes in personal plans | Yes: 16 No: 27 |
| There were other demands on my time | Yes: 7 No: 36 |
| There were emotional adjustments | Yes: 9 No: 34 |
| Some behavior was upsetting | Yes: 7 No: 36 |
| It was upsetting to find the person needing your care will change from his/her former self | Yes: 4 No: 39 |
| There were work adjustments | Yes: 4 No: 39 |
| It was a financial strain | Yes: 0 No: 43 |
| I felt completely overwhelmed | Yes: 1 No: 42 |
POD = postoperative day.