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Caregiver burden, patients' self‐perceived burden, and preference for palliative care among cancer patients and caregivers
Author(s) -
Lee Ji Eun,
Shin Dong Wook,
Cho Juhee,
Yang Hyung Kook,
Kim So Young,
Yoo Hyo Sang,
Jho Hyun Jung,
Shin Joo Yeon,
Cho Belong,
Park Keeho,
Park JongHyock
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
psycho‐oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.41
H-Index - 137
eISSN - 1099-1611
pISSN - 1057-9249
DOI - 10.1002/pon.3827
Subject(s) - palliative care , medicine , caregiver burden , autonomy , cross sectional study , preference , likert scale , feeling , family medicine , cancer , odds ratio , multivariate analysis , gerontology , psychology , nursing , disease , dementia , developmental psychology , social psychology , pathology , political science , law , economics , microeconomics
Abstract Objective Recently, caregiver burden (CB) has emerged as an important issue in the area of palliative medicine. However, patients' feelings related to being a burden to their families (i.e., self‐perceived burden [SPB]) is also a significant issue. We evaluated the relation of CB and SPB as preference for palliative care. Methods A national, multicenter, cross‐sectional survey of 326 patient–caregiver dyads was performed. A set of paired questionnaires evaluating CB and SPB (five domain items assessed on a four‐point Likert scale) were independently administered to patients and their caregivers. Among the respondents, only the patients with distant stage cancer and their caregivers were included. Multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the associations between CB and SPB and preference for palliative care. Results Caregivers and patients who preferred palliative care to life sustaining treatment reported higher CB and SPB scores, respectively. Caregivers who felt more of a burden were more likely to prefer palliative care over life sustaining treatment for their patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.21–2.31). In addition, patients who perceived their caregivers' burden as large tended to prefer palliative care (aOR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.16–2.22). Conclusions Both CB and SPB increased preference for palliative care. This could be interpreted that high CB can lead to preference for palliative care in both patients and their caregivers, potentially threatening patient autonomy. Efforts to relieve CB and SPB are needed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.