Development of the Family Caregiver Medication Administration Hassles Scale

Travis, Shirley S.; Bernard, Marie A.; McAuley, William J.; Thornton, Megan; Kole, Tristen

doi:10.1093/geront/43.3.360

Cited by 58 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…While general studies of medication management by family caregivers of older adults are available (Travis, Bethea & Winn 2000;Smith et al 2003;Travis et al 2003;Francis, Smith, Gray & Denham 2006), few studies have focused exclusively on family caregivers of people living with dementia (Cotrell et al 2006, Kaasalainen et al 2011, While et al 2012. In particular, studies of the medication management experience of ethnic minority family …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medication management concerns of ethnic minority family caregivers of people living with dementia

2013

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This qualitative study explored the medication management experiences of Australian ethnic minority family caregivers of people living with dementia. From the perspective of this group of caregivers, medication management was a source of stress resulting from the progressive loss of ability of care recipients to manage their own medications; the complexity of the medication regime and the caregiver's lack of trust of the care recipient to safely and effectively manage medications. Caregivers used various strategies to manage medications and avoid conflict with care recipients including being watchful and involving other family members in medication management tasks. Family caregivers indicated that a lack of information and access to support to inform their medication management role added to their stress, which was exacerbated in some cases by limited English proficiency. Supportive factors noted by caregivers included a well-established relationship with a community pharmacist, involvement of a geriatrician, family support and caregiver support group participation. KeywordsCommunity, dementia, ethnic minority, family caregiver, medication management Supportive factors noted by caregivers included a well-established relationship with a community pharmacist, involvement of a geriatrician, family support and caregiver support group participation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medication management concerns of ethnic minority family caregivers of people living with dementia

2013

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“…Studies of caregiver difficulty with medication administration and coordination showed that race and higher education, were associated with higher levels of difficulty. 20,21 Studies of caregivers to cancer patients suggested that the level of patient dependency was the most significant predictor of caregiver difficulty with any type of task. 14,18 Other disease-specific studies have shown factors such as family coping skills 18 and a caregiver's belief in their ability to control outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy) 16 were inversely correlated with caregiver-reported overall task difficulty.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Difficulty Assisting with Health Care Tasks Among Caregivers of Multimorbid Older Adults

et al. 2011

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BACKGROUND: Family caregivers provide assistance with health care tasks for many older adults with chronic illnesses. The difficulty they experience in providing this assistance, and related implications for their well-being, have not been well described. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are: (1) to describe caregiver's health care task difficulty (HCTD), (2) determine the characteristics associated with HCTD, and (3) explore the association between HCTD and caregiver well-being. DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Baseline sample of caregivers to older (aged 65+years) multimorbid adults enrolled in an ongoing cluster-randomized controlled trial (N=308). MAIN MEASURES:The HCTD scale (0-16) is comprised of questions measuring self-reported difficulty in assisting older adults with eight health care tasks, including taking medication, visiting health care providers, and managing medical bills. Caregivers were categorized using this scale into no, low, medium, and high HCTD groups. We used ordinal logistic regression and multivariate linear regression analyses to examine the relationships between HCTD, caregiver self-efficacy, caregiver strain (Caregiver Strain Index), and depression (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale), controlling for patient and caregiver socio-demographic and health factors. KEY RESULTS: Caregiver age and number of health care tasks performed were positively associated with increased HCTD. The quality of the caregiver's relationship with the patient, and self-efficacy were inversely associated with increased HCTD. A onepoint increase in self-efficacy was associated with a significant lower odds of reporting high HCTD (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.54, 0.77).Adjusted linear regression models indicated that high HCTD was independently associated with significantly greater caregiver strain (B, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.12, 4.29) and depression (B, 3.01; 95% CI, 1.06, 4.96). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that greater HCTD is associated with increased strain and depression among caregivers of multimorbid older adults. That caregiver self-efficacy was strongly associated with HCTD suggests health-system-based educational and empowering interventions might improve caregiver well-being.

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“…While others have noted the contributions that medication management makes to perceived stress among family caregivers, measurement of this multidimensional stressor was largely absent in the caregiving literature until the recent development of the Family Caregiver Medication Administration Hassles Scale (FCMAHS) (3) . The purpose of this paper is to report a set of variables that are associated with the intensity of medication administration hassles on the FCMAHS that are experienced by family caregivers who manage some or all aspects of the medication regimens for their care recipients over the long-term.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The FCMAHS is a multidimensional measure of the daily irritants associated with managing some or all aspects of another person's medication regimen (3) . The instrument consists of 24 items and four subscales: Information Seeking/Information Sharing (9 items, α = .92), Safety Issues (5 items, α = .83), Scheduling Logistics (7 items, α = .90) and Polypharmacy (3 items, α = .80).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, higher scores are associated with greater levels of perceived medication administration hassles. A full description of instrument development has been previously reported (3) . A test of construct validity has also been reported in which the FCMAHS was significantly correlated (r = .44, p = .001) with a measure of family caregiver strain (6) .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors associated with medication hassles experienced by family caregivers of older adults

Travis

McAuley

Dmochowski

et al. 2007

Patient Education and Counseling

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Objective-We wished to identify potential factors associated with medication administration hassles, daily irritants, among informal caregivers who provide long-term medication assistance to persons aged 55 or older.Methods-A sample of 156 informal caregivers were recruited from seven states and several types of settings. The dependent variable was scores on the Family Caregiver Medication Administration Hassles Scale (FCMAHS). Independent variables included in the analyses were medication complexity; caregiver's gender, ethnicity, relationship to recipient, length of time in caregiving, education, and employment outside the home; care recipient's physical capacity and mental capacity; and whether the caregiver and care recipient live together. After preliminary analysis to reduce the number of independent variables, the remaining variables were included in a linear model (GLM procedure). Possible interactions and residuals were considered.Results-Whites and Hispanics experience greater medication administration hassles than other groups, and perceived hassle intensity increases with medication complexity. Medication administration hassle scores increase with increasing education levels up to a high school degree, after which they remain consistently high. Caregivers whose care recipients have moderate levels of cognitive functioning have higher medication administration hassles scores than those whose care recipients have very high or very low cognitive functioning. Conclusion-The preliminary set of significant variables can be used to identify caregivers who may be at risk of experiencing medication administration hassles, increased stress, and potentially harmful events for their care recipients.1 Project supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging Grant #1 RO3 AG18776-01.Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Practice Implications-Family caregivers are accepting complex caregiving responsibility for family members while receiving little or no support or assistance with caregiving hassles associated with this duty. The FCMAHS offers the means to monitor how caregivers are handling the daily irritants involved with medication administration so that educational interventions can be provided before hassles lead to more serious stress and strain. NIH Public Access

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Development of the Family Caregiver Medication Administration Hassles Scale

Abstract: Caregiver medication administration hassles represent a complex, multidimensional construct that warrants consideration in studies of contemporary family caregiver stress, strain, and burden.

Cited by 58 publications

References 15 publications

Medication management concerns of ethnic minority family caregivers of people living with dementia

Medication management concerns of ethnic minority family caregivers of people living with dementia

Difficulty Assisting with Health Care Tasks Among Caregivers of Multimorbid Older Adults

Factors associated with medication hassles experienced by family caregivers of older adults

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