We should care about informal carers: Reforms are needed to improve their health and wellbeing

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Health Policy Pub Date : 2025-09-12 DOI:10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105437

Natalie Winter Dr , Rebecca Haddock Adj A/Prof

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Informal carers-those who provide unpaid care for people with health concerns or age-related needs- frequently experience negative impacts on their own physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Health systems should respond to these impacts by explicitly recognising and addressing the support needs of informal carers. Positive outcomes for this underserved population group, sustain delivery of care, and reduce further burden on the healthcare system.

Three changes are needed to improve how health systems support carers. First, there must be a stronger and more systematic focus on carers’ wellbeing, including through the expansion of patient-centered care models to explicitly include carers. This should involve co-designing healthcare systems in ways that create space for carers as active partners in care. Second, carers’ needs should be routinely identified and assessed in clinical practice using standardised tools, ideally integrated into electronic health records. Third, clinicians must be supported to provide care for carers when needed—this requires a systemic approach that includes dedicated funding, targeted education, and protected clinical time to address carer wellbeing as part of routine care.

Embedding these reforms in policy and practice would not only improve health outcomes for carers but also strengthen the resilience and sustainability of healthcare systems.

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我们应该关心非正规照顾者：需要进行改革以改善他们的健康和福祉。

非正式照顾者——那些为有健康问题或与年龄有关的需求的人提供无偿照顾的人——经常对自己的身体、精神和社会福祉产生负面影响。卫生系统应通过明确认识和解决非正规照护者的支持需求来应对这些影响。为这一得不到充分服务的人群带来积极的结果，维持护理的提供，并进一步减轻卫生保健系统的负担。要改善卫生系统对护理人员的支持，需要进行三项改革。首先，必须更有力、更系统地关注护理人员的福祉，包括扩大以患者为中心的护理模式，明确包括护理人员。这应涉及共同设计卫生保健系统，为护理人员作为护理的积极合作伙伴创造空间。其次，应在临床实践中使用标准化工具对护理人员的需求进行常规识别和评估，最好将其整合到电子健康记录中。第三，必须支持临床医生在需要时为护理人员提供护理——这需要一种系统的方法，包括专门的资金、有针对性的教育和有保障的临床时间，将护理人员的福祉作为日常护理的一部分。将这些改革纳入政策和实践不仅可以改善护理人员的健康结果，还可以加强卫生保健系统的复原力和可持续性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Health Policy 医学-卫生保健

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

6.10%

发文量

157

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Health Policy is intended to be a vehicle for the exploration and discussion of health policy and health system issues and is aimed in particular at enhancing communication between health policy and system researchers, legislators, decision-makers and professionals concerned with developing, implementing, and analysing health policy, health systems and health care reforms, primarily in high-income countries outside the U.S.A.