The relationships between family primary caregiver characteristics and satisfaction with hospice care, quality of life, and burden.
OBJECTIVE
To examine relationships between family primary caregiver characteristics and satisfaction with hospice care, quality of life (QOL), and burden.


METHODS
Exploratory, quantitative.


METHODS
Five hospice organizations in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho.


METHODS
44 primary caregivers of patients enrolled in hospice for more than two weeks.


METHODS
Telephone surveys measured primary caregivers' satisfaction with hospice care, QOL, and burden. Demographic, personal, and situational characteristics were compiled. Multivariate regression techniques were used to identify caregiver characteristics that explained the most variation in satisfaction with hospice care, QOL, and burden.


METHODS
Satisfaction with hospice care, QOL, and burden.


RESULTS
Being retired, being a wife or daughter, patient diagnosis, per diem rate paid to the hospice organization, county population and density, length of time in hospice, and length of time as a caregiver were significantly related to satisfaction with hospice care, QOL, and burden. Age, sex, education level, occupation, income, patient functional status, and social support were not related to these variables.


CONCLUSIONS
Although caregivers reported satisfaction with hospice care, the caregiver role negatively affects their QOL and they are burdened. "At-risk" caregivers are still working, have been providing care for a long time, and live in a rural locale.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings create a profile of "typical" and "at-risk" primary caregivers and support the role of hospice to care for family caregivers.
Meyers
J L
JL
Intercollegiate College of Nursing at Washington State University Spokane, USA. meyerj@wsu.edu
Gray
L N
LN
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D017051:Hospice Care; D006801:Humans; D007061:Idaho; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014861:Washington