The Effect of Family-Centered Care on the Family Caregivers’ Burden of Patients With Epilepsy

Background and aims:Caring for patients with epilepsy, creates many challenges for their familycaregivers. The implementation of family-based interventions can facilitate the caring duty of caregiversand increase the quality of care for patients. This study aimed to investigate the effect of family-basedcare program on care burden in family caregivers of patients with epilepsy.Methods: This clinical trial study was conducted in Ayatollah Kashani and Hajar hospitals in ShahrekordCity, Iran for 7 months in 2016. Samples were selected by convenience sampling method and randomlyassigned in the intervention (n=50) and control (n=50) groups. For the intervention group, a family-centered care program was implemented including self-efficacy, self-esteem and evaluation, through education, support, problem solving and group discussion during four sessions. Data were collected by usingPersian version of Zarit s burden of care scale from the intervention and control groups in three stages;before, immediately, and two months after the intervention. Data were analyzed by descriptive and analytical t-test and ANOVA with repeated measurement in the SPSS.Results: The mean score of burden of care in the intervention and control groups were 37.42 and 34,respectively before the intervention (P<0.179). The mean score of care burden in the intervention andcontrol groups immediately after the intervention was 21.36 and 28.7 , respectively and two months afterthe intervention was 15.78 and 27.92 respectively.Conclusion: The results showed that a simple, low-cost and feasibility program of family-based care hassignificantly reduced the care burden of caregivers of epilepsy patients. This family centered program canhelp to play a better role for family caregivers with physical and psychological stress.

Keywords:

Family caregivers , family-Centred care , Epilepsy , Burden , Iran