Investigating the effect of family-focused nursing intervention on caregiver burden of the family members of the patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery in Isfahan Shahid Chamran Hospital during 2012

BACKGROUND: Family burden is defined as the problems, concerns, and unpleasant events affecting the patients undergoing coronary arteries’ surgery, and is associated with these patients physical and psychological improvement. Nurses are in a good position to provide appropriate intervention. This study aimed to investigate the effect of family-focused nursing interventions on the burden of the family members of the patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a clinical trial conducted on 50 family members of the patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery in Isfahan Shahid Chamran hospital. Caregivers were selected by convenient sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups of study and control. Caregivers in the study group attended a three-interventional session program during their hospitalization time, while the subjects in control group did not. Data collection tool was Novak and Guest caring burden inventory (CBI). Data were analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS: Means and SDs of caring burden before and after the intervention were 30.08 (14.03) and 19.2 (10) in the study group, respectively, and 30.16 (12.62) and 35.44 (10.42) in the control group, respectively. Changes of total scores of caring burden showed a significant difference after the intervention in the study and control groups (P < 0.001). Score changes of subscales of time dependence (P < 0.001), developmental (P < 0.001), physical (P < 0.001), and emotional caring burden (P = 0.007) were also significant. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that family-focused nursing interventions were effective in reducing the family burden of the patients undergoing coronary bypass surgery. Nurses can administrate family-focused nursing interventions to reduce the caregiver burden.