Caregiver Burden and Quality of Life of Caregivers of Patients with Ventricular Assist Device: A Descriptive Study

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the caregiver burden and quality of life of family members who care for patients with ventricular assisted devices. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in the cardiovascular surgery clinic of a university hospital with 90 caregivers caring for patients who implanted ventricular assist device at least 3 months ago. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers was used to collect data. The questionnaire comprised 2 sections. The first section included questions on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients and caregivers, whereas the second section included the Family Caregiver Quality of Life Scale in Heart Failure (FAMQOL) and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS). Research data were collected by face-to-face interview method. Descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation were used for data analysis. Results: The mean FAMQOL Scale score of caregivers was 47.24±14.57 and the mean ZCBS score was 58.87±19.55. Statistically significant negative correlation was determined between the mean FAMQOL Scale and ZCBS scores. Conclusion: Caregiver burden and quality of life of caregivers of patients with ventricular assist was moderate. Increase in caregiver burden decreases the caregiver's quality of life.