The Effect of Education and Telephone Follow-up on the Burden of Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer

INTRODUCTION: Family caregivers of patients with cancer face a care burden due to the responsibilities and problems of providing care to the patients. Applying appropriate strategies to reduce the burden is essential. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to determine the effect of education and telephone follow-up on family caregivers’ burden on patients with cancer. METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, 69 family caregivers of patients with cancer referred to only one chemotherapy center of a hospital in Lorestan province in Iran were recruited by convenience sampling method. They were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 36) groups. For the intervention group, two face-to-face training sessions and six telephone counseling sessions were held related to the care of the patients and self-care. The control group received only routine care. The family caregiver burden was measured by Novak and Gast Caregiver Burden Inventory (1989) completed before, immediately, and 6 weeks after the study. Data were analyzed by SPSS21 using independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and repeated measures. RESULTS: Both groups were homogeneous regarding demographic characteristics and the baseline care burden. The caregiver burden decreased significantly in the intervention group, so its score was 77.33 ± 8.49, 58.93 ± 8.03, and 52.78 ± 6.86 before the study, immediately after and 6 weeks later, respectively (p < .001). In the control group, there were no significant changes. CONCLUSION: Education and telephone counseling reduced the burden on family caregivers. Therefore, this type of support is beneficial for providing holistic care and preserving the health of family caregivers.