Peer support-based online education, burden of care and quality of life among family caregivers of patients with leukaemia: non-randomised clinical trial

Objective The responsibility of caring for patients with leukaemia places a heavy burden on family caregivers (FCs) and negatively impacts their quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to investigate the effects of peer support (PS)-based online education programme on the burden of care (BoC) and QoL of FCs of patients with leukaemia. Methods This before-after study involved a total of 80 eligible FCs of patients with leukaemia (40 individuals per group). The participants received the necessary information from a researcher and peers through online sessions and WhatsApp group. To collect data, the Zarit Burden Interview and the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer (CQOLC) had been been completed once before the intervention and once 1month after the intervention. Results There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding baseline variables except the mean BoC that was significantly higher in the intervention group (IG) (p<0.001). However, after controlling for the effects of confounding variables, the mean BoC score of participants in IG was significantly lower than that of the control group (p<0.001). Additionally, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of CQOLC before (p=0.178) and after (p=0.538) the intervention. Conclusion The PS-based online education programme had a positive impact on reducing the care burden of FCs of patients with leukaemia. This programme can effectively reduce costs, particularly during emergencies and crises such as pandemics, as it eliminates the need for FCs and peers to physically visit hospitals.