Onyeka, T.C., Emodi, I., Mohammed, D.A. et al. (28 more authors) (2024) In-Hospital Psychoeducation for Family Caregivers of Nigerian Children with Cancer (The RESCUE Study). Palliative and Supportive Care. ISSN 1478-9515
Abstract
Objectives
High levels of caregiver burden (CB) are experienced by informal caregivers of pediatric patients with cancer. There is increasing evidence highlighting the extent of CB across sub-Saharan African countries, although there remains lack of interventions that target improvements in their experience. This study aimed to determine the impact of a structured psychoeducation program on caregivers’ outcomes relating to preparedness to provide care, burden of caregiving, and quality of life (QoL).
Methods
This quasi-experimental (pre-and-posttest) design, involved family caregivers of children on admission for cancer treatment in 4 Nigerian tertiary hospitals. Eligible participants received 2 structured, psychoeducational training sessions delivered by a multidisciplinary oncology team, focusing on the management of patients’ condition, spiritual care, self-care, and support.
Results
Subjects were mainly female (79.5%) and mostly mothers to children undergoing cancer treatment (74.7%). Commonest cancer type was acute lymphoblastic leukemia (23.9%) with evidence of metastatic disease found in 9.6% of children. Significant improvements were observed between pre- and posttest for unmet needs (z = −9.3; p < 0.001), preparedness for caregiving in palliative care (PCPC) (z = −7.0; p < 0.001), and overall QoL (z = −7.3; p < 0.001). A significant reduction in CB was also reported (z = −8.7; p < 0.001).
Significance of results
This psychoeducational intervention (PEI) resulted in significant improvements in unmet needs, CB and significant improvements in PCPC. However, a reduction in QoL of the family caregivers was also observed. Findings from this study should encourage the use of well-crafted PEIs, delivered within hospital settings to promote improvements in outcomes for informal caregivers of hospitalized children suffering from cancer, in an African context. Further intervention development is required to better understand intervention components influencing changes in outcomes, while exploring feasibility testing and adaptation to similar settings in Nigeria and within Africa.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Informal caregivers; childhood cancer; palliative care; in-hospital psychoeducation; Nigeria |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Medicine (Leeds) > Leeds Institute of Health Sciences (Leeds) > Academic Unit of Primary Care (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 25 Jan 2024 14:39 |
Last Modified: | 27 Mar 2024 13:28 |
Published Version: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/palliative... |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S1478951524000178 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:208257 |
Downloads
Filename: RESCUE_2024_final.pdf
