The current study aims to estimate burden, productivity loss, and indirect costs for caregivers of stroke survivors with spasticity.
It is associated with specific care interventions (direct costs) [ 4, 5] and makes particular demands on caregivers (indirect costs) [ 6, 7].
Loss of productivity for patients and caregivers (indirect costs) were quantified in monetary terms using both individual actual income and per capita income for urban areas in Vietnam in 2004 (VND 815,000/month, equivalent to USD 51.5 in 2004).
In another study of 21 autologous HCT recipients, the median out-of-pocket and indirect costs for caregivers were $382 and $2,520, respectively, for a median patient hospital stay of 15 days.
Lifetime costs are defined as those related to treatment of injury (direct costs) and those related to loss, or partial loss, to society of the productive efforts of the injured or their caregivers (indirect costs).
It also investigates indirect costs by caregivers when they have to stop or reduce work hours, or hours spent in other income-generating activities such as informal and self-employment, due to their care giving responsibilities.
Despite this global burden, and the importance of quantifying this burden to guide care decisions on a societal level; productivity loss, health care resource utilization, and estimates of associated direct and indirect costs among caregivers have not been investigated comprehensively in Europe.
The economic impact on society results primarily from lost work time and reduced productivity for patients and caregivers (indirect costs) and increased use of medical resources (e.g., healthcare professionals' time, prescribed medications, laboratory investigations, hospitalizations) required to treat patients (direct costs) [ 3].
Moving beyond the research setting, our organizing framework may be useful for policymakers and practitioners because it will allow them to consider the direct and indirect impact of caregiving to caregivers, care recipients, family members, employers, and broader society [ 41].
Further research is needed on how to evaluate indirect costs and caregiver costs.
