School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 701 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI, 53705, USA.
College of Nursing, Department of Adult Health & Critical Care, Sultan Qaboos University, P. O. Box 66, Al Khod, Muscat, Oman.
Support Care Cancer. 2020 Mar;28(3):1295-1304. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-04947-2. Epub 2019 Jun 25.
In resource-limited settings, family caregivers (FCGs) of adult cancer patients (ACPs) function in a context marred by high patient symptom burden, limited cancer care services and support and high caregiving burden. Despite this predicament, little is known about the quality of life (QoL) of FCGs in these settings. The study aimed to explore the determinants of QoL among FCGs of ACPs in Uganda.
A cross-sectional design was used to collect data from 284 FCGs of ACPs. The study questionnaire was composed of the Katz Index, Family Pain Questionnaire, modified Chronic Pain Self-efficacy Scale and the Caregiver Quality of Life-Index-Cancer.
The mean age of FCGs was 36 ± 13.8 years. Most ACPs had stage 3 or 4 cancer (56%), severe pain (66.2%), reported moderate pain relief (51.1%) and were on chemotherapy (60.9%). The overall QoL of FCGs (70.2 ± 20.3) was moderate and 46.8% had low QoL. Most FCGs had high positive adaptation or financial concerns (55.3%) and low QoL in terms of burden (50.7%), disruptiveness (53.5%) and support (56.7%). The main determinants of overall QoL were FCGs' knowledge and self-eficacy for cancer pain management. The determinants of burden, disruptiveness, support and positive adaptations and financial concerns are reported.
The key determinants of the QoL of FCGs were knowledge and self-efficacy for cancer pain management. In Uganda and similar settings, interventions to build FCGs capacity in cancer-related pain and other symptom management may help to enhance the QoL of FCGs and the ACPs.
在资源有限的情况下，成人癌症患者（ACP）的家庭照顾者（FCG）在患者症状负担高、癌症护理服务和支持有限以及照顾负担高的环境中发挥作用。尽管情况如此，但对于这些环境中 FCG 的生活质量（QoL）知之甚少。本研究旨在探讨乌干达 ACP 的 FCG 的 QoL 的决定因素。
采用横断面设计，从 284 名 ACP 的 FCG 中收集数据。研究问卷由 Katz 指数、家庭疼痛问卷、改良慢性疼痛自我效能量表和照顾者生活质量指数-癌症组成。
FCG 的平均年龄为 36±13.8 岁。大多数 ACP 患有 3 期或 4 期癌症（56%）、严重疼痛（66.2%）、报告中度疼痛缓解（51.1%）和接受化疗（60.9%）。FCG 的总体 QoL（70.2±20.3）为中等，46.8%的 QoL 较低。大多数 FCG 具有高度积极适应或财务问题（55.3%）以及负担（50.7%）、破坏性（53.5%）和支持（56.7%）方面的低 QoL。总体 QoL 的主要决定因素是 FCG 对癌症疼痛管理的知识和自我效能。报告了负担、破坏性、支持和积极适应以及财务问题的决定因素。
FCG 的 QoL 的关键决定因素是对癌症相关疼痛和其他症状管理的知识和自我效能。在乌干达和类似环境中，干预措施可以提高 FCG 在癌症相关疼痛和其他症状管理方面的能力，从而有助于提高 FCG 和 ACP 的 QoL。
