title: Caregivers' quality of life and quality of services for children with cancer: a review from iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Caregivers of cancer patients are exposed to different types of psychosocial stress which influence their quality of life. The purposes of this study were to assess quality of life in caregivers of children with cancer and to investigate the relationship between the caregivers' quality of life and quality of services in the social work section.
  
  
  METHODS
  125 caregivers were recruited. Quality of life was measured by the Iranian version of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and data concerning service quality were obtained from the Iranian version of the SERVQUAL questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Scores in physical health, psychological status and environmental conditions for caregivers of children with cancer were significantly lower than the general population. There was a negative correlation between the tangible domain of SERVQUAL and the psychological status and environmental conditions of quality of life. The tangible dimension was the only aspect of service quality to predict caregivers' quality of life regarding psychological status and environmental conditions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Caregivers of children with a disease are care consumers and, like all consumers, they expect good service. Delivering high quality services consistently is difficult but profitable for a service organization. In other words, trying to deliver more appropriate services than patients expect to receive from their social work care is one of the most reliable ways to promote caregivers' satisfaction and quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Social Determinants of Health Research Center, University of Social Welfare and RehabilitationSciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Homeira
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sajjadi
authors.forename: Meroe
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vameghi
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghazinour
authors.forename: Mohammadreza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khodaeiardekani
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires