Family Care Skill for Chronic Disease People: International Approach

Abstract

This study emerges while working in an international project in nursing when similar problems in health care of people were evident. Chronicity and its family implications was one of the identified common problems. Quantitative descriptive and transversal studies were done between the years 2003 y 2004 with a population of 270 family caregivers of people with chronic diseases. This population included 90 Colombian caregivers, 90 Argentineans caregivers and 90 Guatemalan caregivers. The Caring Ability inventory, CAI® of Ngozi Nkhongo was employed for the study with her authorization. The CAI has three components that include: knowledge, courage and patience. Similar findings were seen in the three countries all of them with difficulties in the Caregiving responsibility and low ability in general and in each of its components.