Competencies of the informal caregiver attributed by community nurses: Delphi study

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to identify the competencies that an informal caregiver must have in order to provide home care to dependent people. It consists of an exploratory-descriptive study developed with nurses from healthcare centers in the North of Portugal, using the Delphi method with two rounds and utilizing questionnaires for the effect. Content analysis was used in the first round of Delphi, confirming a complexity of factors that condition the competencies of caregivers in the provision of home care to people with dependency. Through the use of statistical analysis, in the second round the indicators for cognitive, psychomotor and relational competences reached excellent levels of agreement. The motivation of the informal caregiver was recognized as fundamental and considered to be the leitmotiv in the caregiving process. Furthermore, the caregiver needs support, teaching, training and orientation to be provided with the necessary competencies to take care of a dependent patient in his/her house safely.

Descriptors: Nursing Care; Caregivers; Professional Competence; Homebound Persons; Home Nursing.