Caregiver Distress of the Primary Caregiver (PCG) Is Associated With Severity of Patients Pain, Anxiety Levels and the PCG Anxiety and Depression (786)

Abstract

1.To identify which patient and caregiver characteristics associated with distress in primary caregiver of the patient receiving palliative care at outpatient palliative care.2.To identify which patient and caregiver characteristics that contribute to Caregiver burden. Primary Caregivers (PCG) of patients receiving palliative care report high levels of distress (Caregiver burden). The aim of the study is to identify which patient and caregiver characteristics that contribute to Caregiver burden. In this study we reviewed the baseline data of patients and primary caregivers obtained for a prospective study at outpatient palliative care clinic to evaluate patient’s characteristics, physical and psychological symptoms and primary caregivers’ psychological symptoms and distress using standardized measures including Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Edmonton symptom assessment scale (ESAS)(SDS), Zarit’s Burden Interview (ZBI), Depression Anxiety stress scale(DASS). A multivariate analysis was performed with ZBI as a dependent variable, with patient and caregiver characteristics, symptoms, caregiver’s DASS as independent variables. Thirty-three PCG participated. The median (range) patients ESAS (Pain) 6{2–10}; SDS 42 (10–65); BPI (W) 7 (3–10). The PCG ZBI score was 24 (6–48), DASS 14 (2–82). Caregiver burden was associated with patient’s severity of (BPI- worst pain) {B = −0.89, P = 0.02}, anxiety (ESAS) {B = 0.837, P = 0.83} and caregiver’s anxiety depression and distress (DASS scores) {B = 0.551, P = 0.04} Caregiver distress of the PCG is associated with severity of patient’s pain, anxiety levels and the PCG anxiety and depression.