Functional social support perceived by patients in a program of home care in rural and urban settings

Abstract

Objective: To determine functional social support in patients included in programme of care for chronic patients confined to their homes, and to compare rural area with urban area.

Design: Descriptive and crossover study.

Setting: Urban and rural health centres.

Patients: 103 patients were interviewed in their homes (41 of them were in a rural area and 62 in a urban area). All patients were included in programme of care for chronic patients confined to their homes. Patients with neurological o psychiatric disorders who were not able to answer coherently were excluded.

Measurements and main results: We used the DUKE-UNC questionnaire which measured the functional social support in two sub-scales: confidential support and affective support. We didn't find any relation between the functional social support and age, sex, civil condition or health problems. Patients of the rural area perceive less confidential support than patients of the urban area. We didn't find any difference in the perception of the affective support between both areas.

Conclusions: In the rural area, the patients included in the programme of care for chronic patients confined to their homes perceive less possibility to communicate problems, important events or conflictive situations that require comprehension and help.