Kourosh zarea
Ahvaz JUndishapout University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Biography:
I am an associate professor of nursing sciences at the Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. My research (quantitative and qualitative) focuses on the quality of care and life for individuals with mental and medical comorbidities and their family caregivers, especially in chronic illness. I am a research director of the Nursing Care Research Center in Chronic Diseases. I am editor in chief of Jundishapur Journal of Chronic Disease Care (JJCDC) and editorial manager in this journal.
Abstract:
Aim and objective. The main aim of the current study was to discover and describe the burden of care experienced by family caregivers for the patients undergoing hemodialysis. Background. Although family caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis may experience a considerable burden of care, fewer studies have been carried out on exploring family caregivers’ reasons for bearing such a burden, the strategies pursued by them, and the quality of the imposed burden of care based on their experiences. Design. This study used the qualitative research design approach. Methods. A content analysis approach was used for data collection and analysis. 15 family caregivers were selected through purposive sampling from 4 medical training centers in the south of Iran. Semi-structured interviews were applied to collect information. Results. The data analysis resulted in three main themes including care challenges, chronic nature of care, and victim of situation, which all consist of related subcategories. The whole of these themes are included in the main category of progressive exhaustion which is experienced by the family caregivers during the care of patients undergoing hemodialysis. Conclusion. Due to the significant and effective role of caregivers in the patients’ care process, the overall health of caregivers should be taken into account; thus, more attention should be paid to their health and the burden of care experienced by them should be monitored to improve their quality of life, social welfare, and level of satisfaction.