Caring Burden and Quality of Life of Family Caregivers in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Descriptive-Analytic Study.
Sedigheh Farzi, Saba Farzi, Azam Moladoost and 3 others
PMID 31041319WHAT IT FOUND
Family caregivers of hemodialysis patients reported high caring burden and low quality of life.
Higher burden was linked to lower quality of life, and quality of life was lower with older patient age, long care hours, and high medication costs.
Key findings
01Caregivers had a mean caring burden score of 44.98, in the 41 to 60 range described as moderate to severe, and a mean quality of life score of 30.54 on a 0 to 100 scale.
02A higher caring burden score was linked to a lower quality of life score.
03Lower caregiver quality of life was significantly associated with older patient age, higher medication cost, and more hours of care in 24 hours.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured caregivers at one time point, so it cannot show that caring burden causes lower quality of life or that reducing burden will improve quality of life. Only family caregivers of patients at selected teaching hospitals in Isfahan were included, so the findings may not apply to other settings or countries. The authors did not assess illness severity, patients' self-care, other chronic illnesses, or the types of care provided, which could influence burden and quality of life. Caregiver burden and quality of life were self-reported, so they were not independently measured.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that reducing caregiver burden will improve quality of life. This was an observational survey of caregivers at one time point, and no support intervention was tested.