PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The French setting, including laws and guidelines, advocates greater involvement of informal caregivers in the care of cancer patients to protect the caregivers from depression, distress, and a decrease in their quality of life. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a caregiver educational programme by measuring two outcomes: patients' and caregivers' quality of life and caregivers' burden. METHODS AND SAMPLE: A multicentre randomised controlled trial was performed in six oncology wards in French hospitals. Eligible patients had a cancer, a main caregiver, allowed their caregivers' involvement, and received an inclusion agreement by a doctor/psychologist dyad. The experimental group participated in an educational programme performed by nurses to improve their skills in meal support, nursing care, welfare care, or symptom management. The SF36 and the Zarit burden scales were used to measure quality of life and caregivers' burden at the beginning and at the end of the study. KEY RESULTS:67 patients were randomised and 33 were included in the experimental group. Evolution scores, which measured the difference between baseline and final scores, showed an improvement in patients' and caregivers' quality of life and an alleviated burden for experimental group caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: An educational programme for caregivers encourages the involvement of patients, informal caregivers and health-care providers in a triangular relationship which enhances the quality of life of patients and caregivers alike and decreases caregivers' burden. Care organisation should therefore be rethought as a triangular relationship between patients, caregivers and health-care providers, with nurses as the mainstay.
RCT Entities:
PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The French setting, including laws and guidelines, advocates greater involvement of informal caregivers in the care of cancerpatients to protect the caregivers from depression, distress, and a decrease in their quality of life. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a caregiver educational programme by measuring two outcomes: patients' and caregivers' quality of life and caregivers' burden. METHODS AND SAMPLE: A multicentre randomised controlled trial was performed in six oncology wards in French hospitals. Eligible patients had a cancer, a main caregiver, allowed their caregivers' involvement, and received an inclusion agreement by a doctor/psychologist dyad. The experimental group participated in an educational programme performed by nurses to improve their skills in meal support, nursing care, welfare care, or symptom management. The SF36 and the Zarit burden scales were used to measure quality of life and caregivers' burden at the beginning and at the end of the study. KEY RESULTS: 67 patients were randomised and 33 were included in the experimental group. Evolution scores, which measured the difference between baseline and final scores, showed an improvement in patients' and caregivers' quality of life and an alleviated burden for experimental group caregivers. CONCLUSIONS: An educational programme for caregivers encourages the involvement of patients, informal caregivers and health-care providers in a triangular relationship which enhances the quality of life of patients and caregivers alike and decreases caregivers' burden. Care organisation should therefore be rethought as a triangular relationship between patients, caregivers and health-care providers, with nurses as the mainstay.
Authors: Rafael D Romo; Joan G Carpenter; Harleah Buck; Lisa C Lindley; Jiayun Xu; John A Owen; Suzanne S Sullivan; Marie Bakitas; J Nicholas Dionne-Odom; Lisa Zubkoff; Marianne Matzo Journal: J Hosp Palliat Nurs Date: 2019-08 Impact factor: 1.918
Authors: Yong Joo Lee; Jung Eun Kim; Youn Seon Choi; In Cheol Hwang; Sun Wook Hwang; Young Sung Kim; Hyo Min Kim; Hong Yup Ahn; So Jin Kim Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2016-02-02 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Charlene J Treanor; Olinda Santin; Gillian Prue; Helen Coleman; Chris R Cardwell; Peter O'Halloran; Michael Donnelly Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2019-06-17