Sobrecarga del cuidador informal de pacientes con cuidados paliativos ingresados en un Hospital de Guayaquil, año 2024.

Abstract

Excessive workload among caregivers of patients in palliative care for cancer is a global problem, causing serious mental and physical complications. Objective: To determine the level of workload among informal caregivers of palliative care patients admitted to a hospital in Guayaquil, in 2024. Methodology: Descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional, with a prospective period. Technique: Question-based questionnaire. Instrument: Zarit Scale. Results: Of 120 informal caregivers, 58% were female, 39% were between 18 and 30 years old, and 46% had only one caregiver and were single (48%). Regarding the level of overload, 8% experienced intense overload because they often or almost always thought they should do more for the person they were caring for or better. The other 6% experienced mild overload because they sometimes thought they should do more for their family member. Overload categories: 30% reported physical exhaustion, 28% experienced complications with home care. Mental dimension: 37% reported loneliness, 31% reported discouragement and sadness, 28% reported loss of self-esteem, and 19% reported despair. Social overload: 36% reported barriers to accessing healthcare, 25% performed the role solely because they were women, 21% had compromised family income, and 16% experienced disruptions in family dynamics. Conclusions: Just over a quarter of patients had mild or severe overload due to multiple causes, and this could increase if urgent intervention is not taken to prevent new cases from re-emerging or the severity of the condition from increasing.