title: Use of primary caretakers as proxies to measure the health care needs of patients with AIDS.
abstract: This study evaluated the validity of patient-proxy responses to the Healthcare Needs Scale for Patients with HIV/AIDS. This scale measures environmental and psychosocial support, financial resources, health behaviors, social support, and health management. A sample of 35 patients with HIV/AIDS and their primary caretakers was selected from a hospital inpatient AIDS unit in Baltimore, Maryland, between 1990 and 1992. The significance of discrepancies between the patient and caretaker responses was tested with Wilcoxon's matched pairs/signed ranks test. None of the 19 scale items exhibited a significant Z statistic. It was concluded that the primary caretakers of PWAs can serve as informed proxies and provide accurate information on the patients' healthcare needs.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Berk
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires