Assessment of the burden of caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis have profound physical and psychological effects not only on patients but also on their caregivers.

Patients care is most often undertaken by a close family member who assumes the caregiver role. Caregivers are involved in multiple responsibilities throughout all stages of the disease trajectory, from diagnosis to the initiation of hemodialysis and subsequent home care, leading to a substantial increase in caregiver burden.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the burden experienced by caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis through a review of the international literature.

Materials and Methods: A literature search was conducted in the PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar databases using the following keywords: caregivers, burden, hemodialysis and patients. The inclusion criteria were: a) studies published within the last ten years, b) patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis for at least three months, c) studies available in full-text format and d) studies conducted in adult populations.

Results: A total of 282 studies were identified through the literature search, of which 26 were included in the present systematic review. Specifically, 57.69% of the studies reported that caregivers experienced a high level of burden accompanied by a negative impact on their quality of life, while 26.92% reported a moderate level of caregiver burden.

Conclusions: The findings of the reviewed studies indicate that the majority of caregivers experience a considerable psychological, emotional, social, financial and physical burden while caring for patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Keywords: caregivers, burden, hemodialysis, patients