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| |  IBCC: Caregivers of Breast Cancer Patients at Risk for Health Concerns By Alison Palkhivala BANFF, AB -- August 6, 2003 -- Physicians who treat breast cancer patients scheduled for autologous bone marrow transplantation should also screen the patients' caregivers for physical and psychological problems, including fatigue, high burden of care, low quality of life, and depression. Investigators outlined the science behind this recommendation during a poster session on August 2nd here at the Second Annual Future of Breast Cancer: An International Breast Cancer Congress. Fannie Gaston-Johansson, PhD, RN, FAAN, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, led a study of 102 primary caregivers of breast cancer patients. All of the breast cancer patients were scheduled for autologous bone marrow transplantation. The caregivers completed several questionnaires assessing their quality of life and burden of care. These questionnaires included a socio-demographic data form, the Piper Fatigue Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Quality of Life Index, and Measure of Objective and Subjective Burden scales. Analysis of responses revealed that the primary caregivers were experiencing moderate state anxiety (mean=40.2), and low trait anxiety. Some were also experiencing severe depression; the maximum depression score was 26. The mean objective burden of care score was slightly higher than the mean subjective burden of care score. The mean quality of life and fatigue scores were low, according to Dr. Gaston-Johansson. All of the variables inter-correlated significantly, except for the subjective burden of care and temporal and sensory fatigue. In addition, age and subjective burden of care were significantly inter-correlated, as were income and the fatigue temporal subscale and state and trait anxiety. The family subscale of the quality of life questionnaire significantly predicted objective burden of care. Age and trait anxiety significantly predicted subjective burden of care. The authors concluded that primary caregivers of breast cancer patients scheduled for autologous bonemarrow transplantation experience fatigue, anxiety, a higher burden of care, and a low quality of life. These primary caregivers "may have tried to meet their needs and the patients' needs simultaneously," the authors write in their poster. "Healthcare providers need to proactively assess [primary caregivers] of breastcancer [autologous bonemarrow transplantation] patients for fatigue, psychological distress, [burden of care], and decreased [quality of life], and provide medical interventions tailored to individual needs."
[Study title: Psychological Distress, Fatigue, Burden of Care, and Quality of Life in Primary Caregivers of Breast Cancer ABMT Patients. Poster 16]
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