Family members’ care burden levels of individuals with chronic wound and determinants of care burden: A crosssectional descriptive study

Abstract

Chronic wounds are often neglected and significant health concerns. Determining the care burden and influencing factors for family members of patients with chronic wounds is critical in chronic wound management. This study aimed to assess the level of caregiver burden among family members providing care to patients with chronic wounds and to identify the factors influencing caregiver burden. This descriptive study was conducted with 116 patients suffering from chronic wounds and their informal caregivers. Data were collected using the Patient Information Form, the Caregiver Information Form, and the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation), Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Ward Cluster Analysis were employed for data analysis. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale mean score was 45.39 ± 16.45, indicating a high level of care burden. Family members' age (rs=0.182), the number of days spent caregiving (rs=0.2809), the degree of closeness to the patient; and wound-related factors like the type of chronic wound, the location of the wound on the body, and the width of the wound were also significant effected on care burden (p<0.05).  Cluster analysis revealed that the mean care burden scores were grouped into four clusters: Cluster 1, with a mean score of 51.64 ± 7.53; Cluster 2, with a mean score of 30.92 ± 7.37; Cluster 3, with a mean score of 68 ± 4.33; and Cluster 4, with a mean score of 22.06 ± 10.41. The Caregiver burden among family members of patients with chronic wounds was found to be at a high level. The results of the study highlight the importance of addressing care burden in wound care management, understanding the factors influencing caregiver burden, identifying caregivers at high-risk burden risk, and improving early interventions for these individuals.