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Caregiver burden and symptom distress in people with cancer receiving hospice care
1H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute in Tampa, FL, USA. andrews@moffitt.usf.edu
Purpose/Objectives:
To examine the relationship between caregiver burden and symptom distress in patients with terminal cancer who are enrolled in hospice.
Design:
Descriptive, quantitative.
Setting:
A large, metropolitan, nonprofit-based organization in west central Florida.
Sample:
Convenience sample of 30 patient-caregiver dyads enrolled in hospice.
Methods:
Caregivers completed the Caregiver Reaction Scale to measure the level of caregiver burden; patients completed the Adopted Symptom Distress Scale. Results were correlated using a Pearson correlation.
Main Research Variables:
Symptom distress and caregiver burden.
Findings:
The patient sample exhibited low symptom distress, and the caregiver sample exhibited moderate caregiver burden. A statistically significant moderate correlation existed between symptom distress and caregiver burden.
Conclusions:
The significant moderate correlation confirms the idea that caregiver burden and patient symptom distress are related. Future studies are needed to obtain a more representative sample of caregivers of patients closer to death, even if those patients are nonresponsive.
Implications For Nursing Practice:
This information can assist hospice nurses in assessing and formulating targeted care for symptom distress and caregiver burden in their patients,
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