Burden of Care as Perceived by Informal Caregivers of the Patients Receiving Chemotherapy in Tertiary Care Hospital of Karachi, Pakistan

Background: Almost 32.5 million people are diagnosed with cancer annually. The huge number of cancer patients with deteriorating health renders a far greater number of informal caregivers bearing the burden of care in different forms and magnitude. The main purpose of the study was to explore the types of burden perceived by the informal caregivers and the factors associated with the caregiving burden. Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted to answer the research questions from April to May 2016. Around 200 informal caregivers were recruited from one of the tertiary hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. The modified ZBIS was used to collect data which was analyzed by using Chi-square test to find the associations between the demographic characteristics of informal caregivers and the perceived burden of care. Results: Findings of the study identified the employment status (P ≤ 0.020) and the religion of the informal caregivers (P ≤ 0.027) as significant, demographic variables. The functional level of care receivers was also found to be significant (P ≤ 0.002). The study also recognized four forms of burdens, with significant mean values, including financial (2.85), psychological (2.50), social (2.58), and physical (2.44). Most of the participants reported experiencing a moderate magnitude of burden, ranging from 40 - 60, on the scale of 0 - 80. Conclusion: The study highlighted four different forms of burdens, that is, financial, psychological, social, and physical, along with their associated demographic factors. Health care agencies and public health personnel should work with informal caregivers to reduce burden of care.