READINESS FOR HOSPITAL DISCHARGE AND INFLUENCING FACTORS OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AFTER TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY FROM WENZHOU, PR CHINA

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) creates substantial challenges for patients and their family caregivers, especially during hospital-to-home transition.  Given the family caregivers’ primary role in post-discharge care in PR China, this cross-sectional study enrolled TBI patients and their respective family caregivers (n = 146 for each group) at a tertiary hospital in Wenzhou, Zhejiang to assess the caregivers’ readiness for patients’ discharge and identify predictors of preparedness via several validated questionnaires, namely Readiness for Hospital Discharge Scale (FAM-RHDS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), Family Needs Questionnaire - Revised (FNQ-R), and Quality of Life after Brain Injury (QOLIBRI).  The results showed that 64% of caregivers had high readiness.  Multiple regression analysis identified caregiver education level, self-efficacy and family needs, and patient’s age and quality of life as significant predictors, covering 74.6% of variance in discharge readiness.  In conclusion, this study showed that a family caregiver readiness for the TBI patient’s hospital discharge was affected by both caregiver- and patient-related factors, highlighting the need for targeted interventions, such as personalized education programs and support services, to enhance caregivers’ readiness and optimize post-discharge outcomes for TBI patients.