Quality of Life and Depression Status of Caregivers of Patients with Femoral Neck or Intertrochanteric Femoral Fractures during the First Year after Fracture Treatment

OBJECTIVE: The burden placed on caregivers can negatively affect the functional recovery of patients with hip fractures. It is therefore essential to consider caregivers' well‐being during the hip fracture care pathway. The aim of this study is to evaluate caregivers' quality of life and depression status during the first year after hip fracture treatment. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled the primary caregivers of patients with hip fractures admitted to the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital (Bangkok, Thailand) between April 2019 and January 2020. The quality of life of each caregiver was evaluated using the 36‐Item Short Form Survey (SF‐36), EuroQol 5‐Dimensions 5‐Levels (EQ‐5D‐5L), and EuroQol Visual Analog Scale (EQ‐VAS). Their depression statuses were assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). The outcome measures were collected during admission as baseline data and 3, 6 months, and 1 year after hip fracture treatment. The repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare all outcome measures from baseline to each indicated time point. RESULTS: Fifty caregivers were included in the final analysis. The mean SF‐36 physical and mental component summary scores decreased significantly from 56.6 to 54.9 (p = 0.012) and 52.7 to 50.4 (p = 0.043), respectively, during the first 3 months after treatment. The physical and mental component summary scores returned to baseline values 12 and 6 months posttreatment, respectively. Although the mean EQ‐5D‐5L and EQ‐VAS scores significantly declined at 3 months, they returned to baseline values within 12 months. As for HRSD, 6%, 56%, 36%, and 6% of the caregivers reported mild depression symptoms at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months posttreatment, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of life and depression status of hip fracture patients' caregivers worsen substantially in the first 3 months and return to baseline 1 year after hip fracture treatment. Specific attention and support should be given to caregivers, particularly during this difficult period. Caregivers should be regarded as “hidden patients” who need to be integrated into the hip fracture treatment pathway.