Medicine
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Because of the aging population and the shortage of standardized institutional solutions for long-term care (LTC) in China, family caregivers in Beijing are increasingly called upon to provide home care for disabled older adults. Caregivers face a heavy care burden, and decreased physical and mental health (MH). This study aims to describe health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to identify its predictors for Chinese family caregivers of disabled older adults. ⋯ Therefore, subjective caregiver burden was the strongest predictor of HRQoL. Our findings suggest that a decrease in caregiver burden can improve caregivers' HRQoL, and additional social support is important in decreasing the impact of caregiving on HRQoL. Importantly, an LTC system should be established in China as soon as possible.
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Observational Study
Adherence to gout management recommendations of Chinese patients.
Though efficacious and affordable treatments for gout are widely available, gout is still not well controlled in many countries of the world including China. To investigate patient adherence to gout management recommendations and potential barriers in Chinese male gout patients, a survey was carried out by telephone interview in male patients registered in the gout clinic at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Adherence to dietary and medication recommendations was measured by a food frequency questionnaire and proportion of cumulative time adherent to chemical urate-lowering therapy (ULT), respectively. ⋯ Reasons that patients reported for nonadherence to medication included remission after treatment (35.3%), concerns for potential side effects (22.7%), insufficient patient education (8.7%), and adverse events (8.2%). Patient adherence to gout management recommendations is poor in China. Older age, increased disease burden, and specific comorbidities were associated with management adherence.