Table 3 Brief description of articles included for review (in alphabetical order)

1

Bittman & Thomson. Invisible Support: The determinants of time spent in informal care. 2000. [11]

Australia

Method: survey. Quantitative analysis of ABS Time Use Surveys and Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. Uses this secondary data re: time burden/ use among carers, with a major focus on non-coresidential vs coresidential care.

14,315 carers

Characteristics of care recipients and informal carers include: living arrangements of carers and care recipients, level of disability, household income, poverty rates and effects on various lifestyle features.

2

Bittman et al. Making the invisible visible. The life and time(s) of informal caregivers. 2004. [12]

Australia

Method: survey and diary. Quantitative data from surveys and diaries from Canadian (N= 10,749) and Australian (N= 14,000 approximately) bureaux used to explore and compare time burden and time use among carers and non-carers, as well as methodological issues in obtaining data and measuring time use and caring activities.

Multiple samples: patients and carers

Main variables are co-residency and non-care responsibilities.

3

Bittman, M. et al. The time cost of care. 2005. [13]

Australia

Method: survey and diary. This paper contrasts two different measures of care time using survey questions or a diary.

Multiple samples: carers

4

Braithwaite, V. Bound to Care. 1990. [6]

Australia

Method: qualitative, descriptive and survey. Overall, takes a sociological view of what a caregiver is/does and means, it's not just tasks and burden, but a relationship and a responsibility.

138 carers

Although dated, and focused on care-givers, does provide some early basic data on time and other burdens in caring.

5

Corbin, J. & Strauss, A. Managing chronic illness at home: Three lines of work. 1985. [2]

USA

Mainly cardiovascular diseases, cancer, stroke, & spinal injuries.

Method: qualitative. Interviews and (auto) biographies of people with CI and their spouses.

60 couples: patients and carers

Uses the concept of "work" in managing CIs and types of work: illness, everyday and biographical work.

6

Ettner, S. et al. Investing time in health: do socio- economically disadvantaged patients spend more or less extra time on diabetes self-care? 2009. [26]

USA

Diabetes

Method: survey. Comprehensive survey and statistical analysis, using several variables (education, marital status, income, minority group/ethnicity status, work status, clinical characteristics) but limited to one CI; looks at only foot care, exercise and (conflates) shopping/cooking.

11,927 patients

Objective: To examine associations between socioeconomic position and extra time patients spend on foot care, shopping/cooking, and exercise due to diabetes.

7

Hu, P. & Reuben, D. Effects of managed care on the length of time that elderly patients spend with physicians during ambulatory visits. 2002. [24]

USA

Method: survey. Cross-sectional analysis of the 1998 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.

4,964 elderly patients

8

Infante, et al. How people with chronic illnesses view their care in general practice: a qualitative study. 2004.

Australia

Method: qualitative. 12 focus groups.

76 patients

Objectives: To explore the perceptions of patients with chronic conditions about the nature and quality of their care in general practice.

9

Ironmonger, D. The value of care and nurture provided by household work. 1994. [7]

Australia

Method: survey. Comparative statistical analysis of mainly ABS survey data of aggregates hours for aged care and related household activities

Multiple samples: carers

10

Jenkins, C. Women, work, and care giving: How do these roles affect women's well-being? 1997. [8]

USA

Method: survey. Statistical analysis of data from the 1988 National Survey of Families & Households (USA); how much time in care- giving and other activities, and effects on stress levels.

14,500 female carers

11

Langa, K., et al. Informal caregiving for chronic lung disease among older Americans. 2002. [9]

USA

Lung disease

Method: survey. Multivariable regression models using data from the 1993 Asset and Health Dynamics Study by survey.

National population-based sample of 7,443 community- dwelling elderly patients >70.

Measurements: Weekly hours of informal care giving, and imputed cost of caregiver time.

The average number of hours per week of informal care was calculated for: activities of daily living (ADL); and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL).

12

McCoy, L. Time, self and the medication day: a closer look at the everyday work of 'adherence'. 2009. [17]

Canada

HIV

Method: qualitative. 21 interviews and 16 focus-groups with people taking antiretroviral drugs.

79 patients

13

McKenna, K. et al. Comparison of time use, role participation and life satisfaction of older people after stroke with a sample without stroke. 2009. [21]

Australia

Stroke

Method: qualitative & time use diary. Interviews with 23 participants and data compared with a prior study. Interviews prompted participant recall using calendars and diaries.

23 patients >65 yrs old 1– 3 yrs post-stroke (mean age

74.2 years, 69.6% men)

14

Paoletti, I. A half life: Women caregivers of older disabled relatives. 1999. [10]

Italy

Method: qualitative. Interviews and discourse analysis.

50 female paid and unpaid carers.

15

Pritchard, P. Doctors, patients and time. 1992. [25]

UK

Method: Descriptive. A narrative description about time and time use, different kinds of time, from both patients' and Doctors' perspective, their perceptions of the other's perceptions of time and its use and value.

N/A

16

Reed, et al. Economic evaluation of home blood pressure monitoring with or without telephonic behavioral self-management in patients with hypertension. 2010. [31]

USA

Hypertension

Method: RCT (other). A prospective economic evaluation alongside a randomized controlled trial of 636 patients with hypertension participating in the study's 3 interventions. Medical costs were estimated using electronic data representing medical services delivered within the health system. Intervention-related costs were derived using information collected during the trial, administrative records, and published unit costs.

636 patients.

17

Russell, L. et al. Time requirements for diabetes self-management: Too much for many? 2005. [18]

USA

Diabetes

Method: qualitative. A convenience sample of 8 certified diabetes educators to derive consensus-based estimates of the time required for all self-care tasks recommended by the American Diabetes Association.

8 certified diabetes educators

(concerning patient time use)

18

Russell, L. et al. Health- related activities in the American Time Use Survey. 2007. [20]

USA

Method: survey. Compilation and statistical analysis of ATUS survey data on Health-Related Activities in America.

34,000 patients

19

Russell, L. et al. How much time do patients spend on outpatient visits?: The American Time Use Survey. 2008. [22]

USA

Method: survey. Compilation and statistical analysis of ATUS survey data on outpatient visits.

1,621 random sample of patients from 2003–06 ATUS data, age >15

20

Safford, M. et al. How much time do patients with diabetes spend on self-care? 2005. [19]

USA

Diabetes

Method: survey. Cross-sectional survey of 1482 diabetic patients enrolled in 3 northeastern United States managed care plans. Statistical analysis using and linear regressions.

1,482 diabetic patients (57.9% >55 yrs)

21

Wolf, D. Valuing informal elder care. 2004. [14]

USA

Method: modelling. Addresses through modelling the problem of attaching a monetary value to informal elder care, and why we should; uses NLTCS data to illustrate.

N/A

22

Yabroff, K. et al. Estimating patient time costs associated with colorectal cancer care. 2005. [23]

USA

Colorectal cancer

Method: survey. Quantitative, longitudinal and comparative time data for cancer/non-cancer care based on past studies and medical records (SEER-Medicare database), and estimates a monetary value of patients' time based on BLS wage rates.

75,470 patients with matched controls