title: Burdens, needs and satisfaction of terminal cancer patients and their caregivers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Terminal cancer patients and their caregivers often experience traumatic stress and need many types of assistance. In the present study we interviewed terminally ill cancer patients and caregivers to determine how much burden they experienced and to find out what factors are most important for satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We constructed a questionnaire including overall care burden and needs experienced, and administered it to 659 terminal cancer patients and 659 important caregivers at 11 university hospitals and 1 national cancer center in Korea.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Finally, 481 terminal cancer patients and 381 caregivers completed the questionnaire. Care burden was not insubstantial in both and the caregiver group felt more burden than the patient group (P <0.001). While the patient group needed financial support most (39.0%), the caregiver group placed greatest emphasis on discussion about further treatment plans (44.8%). Stepwise multiple logistic regression analyses showed that in the patient group, patient's health status (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.16-3.56) and burden (OR, 2.82; 95% CI, 1.76-4.50) influenced satisfaction about overall care, while in the caregiver group, high education level`(OR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.76-4.50), burden (OR, 2.94; 95% CI, 1.75-4.93) and good family function (OR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.24-3.04) were important.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that burden was great in both terminal cancer patients and their caregivers and was perceived to be more severe by caregivers. Our study also showed that burden was the factor most predicting satisfaction about overall care in both groups.
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Control Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon-Jung
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Yong Chol
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Woo Jin
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Young Rok
authors.initials: YR
authors.lastname: Do
authors.forename: Lee Keun
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Seok
authors.forename: Heung Tae
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sook Ryun
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Seon
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Ik-Joo
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Young Ho
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004522:Educational Status; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D005378:Financial Support; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology*; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D056910:Republic of Korea; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019452:Terminally Ill / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult