title: Assessment of Quality of Life of Family Members of Inpatients with End-Stage Disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An important aim of palliative care is to ensure the highest possible quality of life (QoL) for the family members of patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to determine the QoL of family members of hospitalized patients with end-stage disease, as well as differences in QoL based on socio-demographic characteristics and the patient's functional status, psychological distress, and QoL.
  
  
  METHODS
  Study participants were 292 family members of terminally ill patients at University Hospital, Ostrava, Czech Republic. To evaluate family members' QoL, we used the Quality of Life in Life-Threatening Illness--Family Carer Version (QOLLTI-F). We used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) Scale to assess patients' functional status and psychological distress.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A statistically significant difference was found in QoL evaluation based on family members' socio-demographic characteristics in education, employment, and age. A significantly lower QoL score was observed for patients' life partners in six domains. A correlation was found between patients' poorer functional status and family members' lower QoL. We found lower global QoL in family members of patients with depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Family support is a cornerstone of palliative care. Palliative care professionals should focus on at-risk family members--the life partners of patients, the unemployed, younger people, and those whose ill loved one has a poor functional status.
authors: Radka
authors: R
authors: Bužgová
authors: Radka
authors: R
authors: Kozáková
authors: Lucie
authors: L
authors: Sikorová
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018153:Czech Republic; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019452:Terminally Ill