title: Psychosocial outcomes for patients and carers after aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage.
abstract: As part of a 'clinical governance' initiative, a patient/carer led study was designed to determine the psychosocial outcome of a consecutive cohort of 137 aneurysmal sub-arachnoid haemorrhage (ASAH) patients of whom 45% had experienced a severe haemorrhage. Most patients were middle class (51%), female (63%), aged under 54 years (53%) and 30% had school-age children. Information booklets did not meet the need for case-specific answers and communication problems were identified despite the high rating of in-patient treatment. Substantial problems occurred after discharge because of a hiatus in care and support by community-based services. Carers carried major psychosocial burdens, fifty-one per cent reporting that their work was negatively affected, and after a year, employment cost to carers was pounds sterling 182,000 and pounds sterling 590,000 for patients. 11% of patients lost their jobs as a direct consequence of the ASAH. A cost-feasible solution to improve the communication-support problems was identified by these 'consumers'.
authors.affiliation: University of Southampton, Southampton University Hospitals, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pritchard
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Foulkes
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neil-Dwyer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000592:standards; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003142:Communication; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000592:standards; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome