El cuidado de un familiar con cáncer terminalrepercusiones en la salud de la persona cuidadora e intervención educativa

Abstract

Caring for a terminally ill cancer patient is associated with high levels of anxiety for the caregiver. This research has had as objectives: 1st to identify the relationship between coping and anxiety in caregivers of cancer patients in palliative care and 2nd to determine the effectiveness of a basic educational intervention aimed at pain management in family caregivers of patients with terminal cancer in palliative care. This research has found that the caregivers in our unit present high levels of anxiety and overload and carry out coping focused on emotions. Also that a brief educational intervention has not led to improvements in the level of knowledge about pain, overload, anxiety, competence in care and satisfaction with the care of the caregiver, or in the quality of life of the family caregiver. . However, it is possible that this type of intervention can improve the caregiver's level of knowledge about pain and slow down the deterioration of the quality of life (mental component) of the family caregiver.