Abstract:

Aim: This descriptive study aimed to determine the relationship between burn patients and their caregivers’ quality of life and care burden. Material and Methods: The study was conducted at two university hospitals. Thirty burn patients discharged from the hospitals between September 2015 and January 2016 and their 30 caregivers participated in the study. Data were collected face-to-face with the datasheet for patients, the Burn-Specific Health Scale, the datasheet for caregivers, the World Health Organization Quality of Life (QoL)-Brief, and the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview Scale. Results: The patients’ mean QoL scores, and sub-scores were higher than 0.53. The highest caregivers’ mean QoL score was for the physical health domain (74.62±16.87). There was a negative correlation between the physical health scores of caregivers and the general health and overall QoL scores of patients (p<0.01). The mean caregiving burden score was 26.63±12.78. There was a negative correlation between the caregiving burden score, social health, and overall QoL scores of patients (p<0.05). Conclusion: The patients demonstrated a moderate level of QoL, while their caregivers demonstrated a high level of QoL. The caregiver burden of the caregivers was low. There was a correlation between patients' QoL and their caregivers’ QoL and caregiver burden. It is crucial to prepare the patients and their caregivers to increase QoL and decrease the caregiving burden.

Keywords: