Economic value of unpaid family caregiver time following hospital discharge and at end of life

Economic value of unpaid family caregiver time following hospital discharge and at end of life
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Brystana G Kaufman, Wenhan Zhang, Sahar Shibeika, Ro W Huang, Ting Xu, Cory Ingram, Allison M Gustavson, Diane E Holland, Catherine Vanderboom, Courtney H Van Houtven, Joan M Griffin; 12/24
Results: Of 282 Family caregivers, 94% were non-Hispanic White, 71% were female, 71% had a college degree, and 51% were in the workforce. Family caregivers of decedents (58%) compared to survivors reported significantly more caregiving hours per person-month (392 vs. 272), resulting in higher estimated economic value per person-month using opportunity ($12,653 vs. $8843), proxy ($5689 vs. $3955), and combined costing methods ($9490 vs. $6443). Conclusion: This study informs more complete economic evaluations of palliative care by estimating the economic value of unpaid caregiving. The high intensity of unpaid caregiving for people with serious illness, especially toward the end of life, should be considered when designing policies and interventions to support family caregivers. Better methods for approximating economic value are needed to address potential inequities in current valuation approaches.