Your Health

Importance Of Family Caregivers

Posted 11/12/2010

Respect for patients’ rights should guide all patient-physician-caregiver interactions.

(NAPSI) - More than 65 million family caregivers play a major role in maximizing the health and quality of life of individuals with acute and chronic illnesses.

“Family caregivers make a valuable contribution to patient care,” said J. Fred Ralston Jr., M.D., FACP, president, American College of Physicians (ACP). “A proper patient-physician-caregiver relationship will contribute to a positive caregiving experience and may decrease rates of patient hospitalization and institutionalization.”

ACP has issued “Family Caregivers, Patients and Physicians: Ethical Guidance to Optimize Relationships” to guide ethical relationships among patients, physicians and caregivers. The paper, available on www.acponline.org, outlines principles to guide the patient-physician-caregiver relationship. ACP also encourages all adults to document their health care wishes in a living will, and for providers to respect those decisions.