جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه "caregiver" در نشریات گروه "پزشکی"

Caregivers of hemodialysis patients experience several daily challenges due to the specific condition of their patients. It is necessary to study the challenges of this group to reduce the adverse effects on the caregivers and the patients. Accordingly, the present study aimed to describe the caregivers’ lived experiences of caring for hemodialysis patients. This was a qualitative study conducted using a phenomenological approach. The participants were 21 caregivers of hemodialysis patients from three hemodialysis centers in Qazvin, Iran who were selected using purposive and snowball sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. A total of 107 primary codes, 15 subcategories, 7 categories, and 3 main themes were extracted from the analysis of the interviews. The main themes included caregiver as the central pillar, fear of the foggy future, and the heavy burden of being judged by others. Caring for patients with hemodialysis constantly imposes many challenges for caregivers. The managers of hospitals and hemodialysis clinics can prevent the severe consequences experienced by caregivers and patients by planning and implementing individual development training courses and effective policies to enable caregivers.

The COVID-19 disease is currently one of the most important concerns of societies. Continuation of self-care behaviors after discharge by patients and their families is one of the factors affecting health promotion.

The present study was performed with aim to investigate the effect of the post-discharge training program on the satisfaction and self-efficacy of family caregivers of patients with COVID-19.

This clinical trial study was conducted on 68 caregivers of patients with COVID-19 who were discharged from Valiasr Hospital in Birjand, Iran in 2020. The research units were randomly divided into two groups. Standard educational content was made available to the intervention group through the WhatsApp messenger. Then, two phone calls were made to the caregivers. The control group only received the hospital's routine cares. Data collection was done using demographic information form, general self-efficacy and information satisfaction questionnaire. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean age scores of participants in the intervention and control groups were 39.88±16.53 and 47.02±14.82 years, respectively. Since there was significant difference between change in before-after scores in the two groups, the educational method in the intervention group was more effective in increasing information satisfaction than routine care (p<0.0001). Also, the mean total self-efficacy score in the intervention group increased from 95.26±20.37 to 97.79±18.02, which was significantly different from the control group (p=0.01).

Implications for Practice:

 Providing post-discharge support and education to family caregivers of patients with COVID-19 improves the caregivers' experience through increased satisfaction and self-efficacy.

 Reducing the care burden of family caregivers and improving their quality of life is one of the important goals of palliative care.

 This study aimed to determine the caregiver burden (CB) and its relationship with the quality of life (QOL) of family caregivers of cancer patients admitted to Baqai 2 Hospital in Ahvaz City from 2021 to 2022.

 Using a convenience-sampling method, this cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 178 family caregivers of cancer patients. The data collection instrument included a three-part questionnaire. The first part included demographic information of family caregivers of cancer patients, the second part included the caregiver burden scale (CBS) to investigate the CB of the caregivers, and the third part included the caregiver quality of life index-cancer (CQOLC) scale to investigate QOL in caregivers. This questionnaire was standardized and had acceptable validity and reliability. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and analytical statistics tests using SPSS V22 software.

 The mean and SD of participants' CB and QOL were 15.79 ± 50.23 and 80.84 ± 23.29, respectively. The majority of caregivers (47.8%) had moderate CB, and the QOL of caregivers decreased significantly with an increasing CB (P < 0.001). The results showed that caregivers' QOL was influenced by factors such as CB, place of residence (rural area), duration, and type of disease (P < 0.001). Also, CB was influenced by factors such as marital and employment status, level of education, and the family relationship with patients (P < 0.001).

 The results of the present study showed that the QOL of family caregivers of cancer patients decreased with increasing CB. Therefore, authorities and oncology nurses should design necessary plans to develop interventions to reduce CB and improve the QOL of family caregivers of cancer patients.

Chronic diseases affect the lives of the patient and caregiver. Caring for a patient with a chronic psychiatric illness, such as bipolar disorder, is a stressful and challenging activity. Caregivers of severe psychiatric patients are the primary victims of violence by patients. Caring for these patients can be very stressful for the caregiver to the extent of experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms. This study compares the frequency of trauma exposure and PTSD in the caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder type 1(BD-1), bipolar disorder type 1, comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder (BD-1+PTSD), and multiple sclerosis (MS).The MS group served as the control group.  

This cross-sectional study with convenient sampling was conducted at three hospitals in  Tehran, Iran, from April 2020 to January 2022. One hundred eighty caregivers answered a clinical demographic questionnaire. We then used the Trauma History Questionnaire (THQ) to assess the frequency of exposure to different types of trauma. Then, the Persian version of the SCID-5, a valid and reliable instrument for psychiatric diagnoses, was used to diagnose PTSD. Chi-square was used for analyzing data.  

Exposure to trauma has a significant difference between the groups. BD-1 + PTSD patients’ caregivers were exposed to more physical assaults than others (P < 0.0001) There was a significant difference between sexual harassment in the MS group (P = 0.010). There was a significant difference between the three groups in the development of PTSD (P = 0.003). PTSD prevalence in the BD-1 + PTSD caregiver group is more than in other groups. In the caregivers of BD-1+PTSD, the caregiving experience caused traumatic exposure and the development of PTSD in all caregivers. 

This study shows that the prevalence of exposure to traumatic events and PTSD is higher in the caregivers of BD-1 patients, especially if the patient has comorbid PTSD. Detecting these symptoms early and using intervention can make the caregiving burden more tolerable.

 Access to healthcare services for patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was limited during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mobile application (app) can help overcome this limitation for patients and caregivers. Our study aims to develop and evaluate an app to help caregivers of patients with AD during COVID-19.

 The study was performed in three steps. First, a questionnaire of features required for the app design was prepared based on the interviews with caregivers of AD patients and neurologists. Then, questionnaire was provided to neurologists, medical informatics, and health information management specialists to identify the final features. Second, the app was designed using the information obtained from the previous phase. Third, the quality of the app and the level of user satisfaction were evaluated using the mobile app rating scale (MARS) and the questionnaire for user interface satisfaction (QUIS), respectively.

 The number of 41 data elements in four groups (patient’s profile, COVID-19 management and control, AD management and control, and program functions) were identified for designing the app. The quality evaluation of the app based on MARS and user satisfaction evaluation based on QUIS showed the app was good.

 This is the first study that focused on developing and evaluating a mobile app for assisting Alzheimer’s caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the app was designed based on users’ needs and covered both information about AD and COVID-19, it can help caregivers perform their tasks more efficiently.

 
The close engagement of family caregivers in the care of older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may predispose them to anxiety, frustration, and social isolation, which may consequently affect their resilience and care burden.
 
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between caregiver burden and resilience in family caregivers of older adults with COPD.
 
This cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted on 240 family caregivers of older adults with COPD who were referred to a specialty pulmonology clinic in Iran. The participants were recruited by convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Zarit Burden Inventory and the 25-item Connor Davidson Resilience Scale. Statistical analyses included t-test, analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression.
 
The mean age of the caregivers was 51.20 ± 11.84 years. The majority of participants experienced low (55.7%) or moderate (43.8%) caregiver burden. The overall mean caregiver burden score was also moderate (20.01 ± 6.46). The overall mean resilience score was high (77.85 ± 10.17). An inverse relationship was found between resilience and caregiver burden (r = −0.38; P < 0.001).
 
As resilience increases, caregiver burden decreases. Implementing early counseling intervention for promoting resilience, increase tolerance to problems, and reduce caring burden among family caregivers of older adults with COPD.

The patients’ companions need to take precautionary measures in the hospital for taking care of their patients. The relevant studies have not focused on the precautionary measures of the patients’ companions. Considering this issue, this study aimed to determine the companions' knowledge, attitude, and practice which enabled them to take the safety precautions against Covid-19 in infectious wards.

This study was a descriptive-analytical study. The researchers used convenience sampling to select 284 companions of the patients with Covid-19 in teaching hospitals in Kashan (Iran) from June to September 2021 as the participants of the study. The data collection instrument was a self-report researcher-developed questionnaire which examined the companions’ knowledge, attitude, and practice which enabled them to take care of their patients. Data analysis was performed using SPSS v16 software. The Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman's correlation tests were used to analyze the obtained data.

The results of the study showed that the companions’ level of knowledge (11.27±5.01) was weak. Nonetheless, their attitude (99.84±16.50) and practice (94.69±12.32) were moderate and acceptable. Moreover, there was a significant relationship between the companions’ familial relationship with the patient, history of participation in the Covid-19 training classes, education, and occupation and their knowledge, attitude, and practice (p < 0.05). Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the companions’ history of being in the hospital as a companion of Covid-19 patients and the mean values of their attitude and practice (p < 0.05). Finally, on the basis of the results, there was a significant relationship between the mean values of the companions' practice and their knowledge and attitude (p < 0.05).

Companions are not provided with satisfactory education regarding precautionary measures in the hospital wards. Therefore, there is a need for the protocols which inform them about the precautionary measures in hospitals.

 Palliative care is one of the primary rights of children with cancer and their families. Identifying the unmet needs of palliative care for these children is important in providing high-quality care.

 The present study aimed to exploring the perception of formal and informal caregivers about the unmet palliative care needs of children with cancer and their families.

 This qualitative study was conducted from October 1, 2020, to May 15, 2021, in one of the children’s hospitals in Rasht (Northern Iran). This study enrolled 25 caregivers (nurses, doctors, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, neighbors, and parents of children with cancer) and 5 children with cancer, who met the inclusion criteria by purposeful sampling to participate in in-depth and semi-structured interviews. The interviews continued until data saturation. A directed content analysis was performed according to the Elo and Kyngas proposed approach and based on the National Consensus Project (NCP) framework. The findings were managed by MAXQDA2020 software. Guba and Lincoln criteria were used to ensure the trustworthiness of the data.

 The average age of the participants was 32.40 ± 1.4 years, and 1,450 codes were extracted. The extracted theme was “the need for holistic care”, which included 7 main categories such as “the structure and process of care”, “physical aspects of care”, “psychological aspects of care”, “social aspects of care”, “cultural aspects of care”, “care of the patient nearing the end of life”, and “spiritual, religious, and existential aspects of care”, and 23 subcategories.

 Children with cancer and their families have many physical, psychological, spiritual, and social needs. To meet these needs, it is suggested to provide the necessary infrastructure for palliative care, strive for justice in access to palliative care services for children with cancer and their families, empower caregivers, form an interdisciplinary team, and promote cultural awareness regarding cancer and end-of-life care.

Home healthcare guidelines emphasize the engagement of family caregivers of heart failure (HF) patients in patient care at home. Thus, this study was conducted with the aim to explore the deep experiences of home care team members regarding the needs of family caregivers of HF patients in home healthcare services in Iran.

The present qualitative study was performed with a conventional content analysis approach. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 23 participants who were recruited through purposive sampling. The Data were analyzed using the Graneheim and Lundman method for conventional content analysis in MAXQDA Software.

The participants included 14 women and 9 men with the mean age of 46.21 ± 11.44 years. After analyzing the interviews, 3 main categories and 15 subcategories were extracted. The main categories were “family caregiver’s unmet needs” (with 5 subcategories), “Empowering Informal Caregivers” (with 3 subcategories), and “access to a standard home healthcare system” (with 7 subcategories).

Deep understanding of the needs of family caregivers of HF patients in home health care services increases the quality of services, the quality of life (QOL) of the family, and prevents patients’ hospital readmissions. Moreover, it will contribute to our next project of the home healthcare guideline for HF patients in the health care system of Iran. Identifying the training needs of caregivers within the home health care services has an important role in the designing of education strategies in policy making programs at the level of the Ministry of Health or planning at lower levels of the health network.

We compared the associations of socioeconomic factors with stress and depression among family members living with a dementia patient in urban and rural areas of South Korea.

Data were collected from 9,730 (4,560 urban and 5,170 rural) participants in the Korean Community Health Survey from 2014-17. The variable of interest was the presence of a cohabitating dementia patient, and the dependent variables were stress and depression.

Family members living with a dementia patient in rural areas had a significantly lower socioeconomic status (education, household income, marital status, and employment) than those living in urban areas (p<0.001). In addition, family members living with a dementia patient in rural areas reported statistically significantly less stress and depression than did those in urban areas after adjusting for related factors(rural stress OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.80-0.95; rural depression OR=0.75, 95% CI=0.66-0.85). Female gender and a low family income were associated with stress and depression in both rural and urban areas. Age, educational attainment, number of family members, marital status, and employment status differed slightly between urban and rural areas.

The socioeconomic factors associated with stress and depression differ slightly in the rural and urban areas of South Korea.

Family caregivers have significant role in managing psychiatric emergencies in the time interval between their request for emergency medical services (EMS) and ambulance arrival at the emergency scene. This study aimed at assessing the effects of educational short message service (SMS) messages about emergency scene management (ESM) on perceived stress and satisfaction among the family caregivers of patients with mental disorders who requested EMS.

This randomized controlled trial was conducted in 2019–2020 using a two-group posttest-only design. Participants were sixty family caregivers of patients with mental disorders in Mashhad, Iran, who called the EMS center and requested EMS. They were continuously recruited and randomly allocated to an intervention or a control group. Participants in the control group received routine educations, while participants in the intervention group received routine educations and SMS-based educations about ESM. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, a researcher-made caregiver satisfaction questionnaire, and the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale. Data analysis was performed via the SPSS software (v. 25.0).

Most participants were female (53.3%) and their mean age was 44.30 ± 13.03 years. The mean score of perceived stress in the intervention group was significantly less than the control group (P = 0.001), while the mean score of caregiver satisfaction in the intervention group was significantly more than the control group (P = 0.001).

SMS-based education about ESM is effective in significantly reducing perceived stress and enhancing satisfaction among the family caregivers of patients with mental disorders.

The complexity of thalassemia and its treatment process has a significant impact on the quality of life of thalassemia major patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the challenges of improving health-related quality of life in β-thalassemia major patients.
A qualitative content analysis was performed at the thalassemia center in Mashhad, Iran. Semi-structured interviews were performed from January 2019 to May 2020, 25 interviews were performed with 23 participants (15 patients aged ≥18 years, 3 family members and 5 caregivers) who were selected by purposeful sampling.
After analyzing the data, the challenges of improving health-related quality of life in β-thalassemia major patients were categorized into five major themes, including I. living activity, II. opportunity and motivation, III. adaptation, IV. received healthcare, V. psychological and social support.
Age increase among thalassemia patients is associated with increased physical, psychological and social complications and treatment costs that lead to a reduced HRQOL. By increasing age, it is necessary to arrange some programs for their presence in the community and to take particular measures for employment, education and marriage of thalassemia major patients. As life span increases, the treatment of these patients reaches the cost-effectiveness threshold, so policy-making is critical for screening the complications of the disease. Along with providing a perfect treatment environment, the accessibility of appropriate laboratory and equipment for measuring iron deposition should be the priorities for health care system of countries, so that thalassemia patients may experience fewer complications and higher HRQOL in their life.

During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, palliative care units and nursing homes became risky in terms of infection transmission. The measures that are taken in the general population have also been strictly applied for caregivers. However, to achieve success, the personal compliance of the caregivers is as important as setting the rules.

This study aimed to evaluate the demographic characteristics, knowledge levels, and attitudes towards the measures taken for pandemics of the caregivers who were caring for their patients in the palliative care unit. It was also attempted to evaluate the relationship between these parameters and their quality of life (QOL).

The level of knowledge and the level of agreement with themeasures with questions prepared by three physicians working in the palliative care unit were assessed in this study. The QOL was also evaluated using the 3-level version of EQ-5D (EQ-5D-3L).

Education, employment, smoking, as well as parental and marital status, were found to be related to a high level of knowledge. It has been shown that the level of knowledge is higher in female caregivers and those who were caregiving for less than three years. The caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients were also revealed to know more about the COVID-19 pandemic. Single, male, employed, smoking, and experienced less than three years caregivers were seemed to have a higher level of agreement with the measures. In addition, it was concluded that the QOL was positively correlated with the level of knowledge and negatively correlated with the compliance of the measures.

It is essential to know the characteristics and beliefs of the caregivers in pandemic management in palliative care; accordingly, more studies should be conducted on this issue