Caregiving burdens of family members of patients living with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Caregiving burden is common among family caregivers (FCs). In Taiwan, no reports have compared caregiving burden according to disease stage, or explored the comprehensive factors of caregiving burden in the FCs of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate caregiving burden at different diagnosis stages and its potential predictors in the FCs of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 192 FCs. Caregiving burden was measured using the Caregiver Reaction Assessment tool. The predictive factors of caregiving burden in the FCs of patients with HCC were identified using a linear regression model.

Results: The global caregiving burden had no significant differences between the four disease stages. The lack of family support and impact on schedule were significantly higher at the terminal stage than at the earlier stage. The risk factors of caregiving burden were high depression, high financial demand, heavy caregiving tasks, advanced age and frequent patient contact, which obtained a variance of 47.8% in the regression model.

Conclusion: Healthcare providers need to proactively identify and assess FCs with risk factors of caregiving burden and provide appropriate interventions specific to individual needs at different disease stages.