Assessment of caregiver burden of patients receiving dialysis treatment in Rawalpindi

Objective: To determine the burden on the caregivers of patients receiving dialysis treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in four different dialysis centres of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from June 1 to December1, 2015, and comprised attendants of patients receiving dialysis. The data was collected from the attendants of patients receiving dialysis, and caregiver burden was measured using the Zarit Burden Interview questionnaire. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. Results: Of the 164 subjects, 97(59%) were females. The majority of caregivers reported stress for caring (2.28 +/- 1.31), patients asking for more help than needed (2.14 +/- 1.13), health problems (1.03 +/- 1.11), financial constraints (1.70 +/- 1.15) and little time for self-care (2.15 +/- 1.21). Besides, 107(65%) caregivers perceived the burden of their patients as mild to moderate. A positive correlation was found between the duration of a person on dialysis, daily hours of care-giving and the total burden score of his/her caregiver (p<0.05 each). Conclusion: Care-giving can create enormous burdens on caregivers, affecting their physical and psychological health.