Care Burden of Home Caregivers of Patients with COVID-19

Caring for patients with COVID-19 at home is mainly the responsibility of the family which leads to high burden of care. The burden of care refers to psychological pain, physical problems, financial and social pressures, disruption of family relationships, feelings of hopelessness, and other negative consequences of care tasks. The aim of this study was to determine the care burden in caregivers of patients with COVID-19 at home.

This cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study was carried out in 390 family caregivers of patients with COVID-19 attending medical centers in Gorgan, Iran 2021, using convenience sampling. Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) was administered which consists of five domains and a score range of 24-120. Data were analyzed in SPSS V18 applying equivalent non-parametric tests.

The mean total score for care burden was 52.70±17.03 and the mean scores for other subscales were as follows: 14.90±6.22 for time dependence=, 10.80±4.88 for developmental, 9.60±4.36 for physical burden, 7.80±2.91 for social burden, and 9.60±3.84 for emotional burden. As the age of the caregivers increase, the burden of time dependence increased. Women and caregivers with low educational backgrounds perceived a higher burden of care. There was a significant relationship between the burden of care and patient's economic status and the health status of the caregiver (P<0.05).

Family caregivers of patients with COVID-19 at home received a moderate burden of care that could negatively affect their health and wellbeing. Family caregivers need to be supported psychosocially and financially by formal community health systems.