Sobrecarga del cuidador informal de pacientes con tratamiento de quimioterapia, en un Hospital de Especialidad de Guayaquil, año 2021.

Abstract

Overload is a common disorder with a variety of symptoms that affect the physical, mental, emotional, social and economic life of the informal caregiver, affecting their daily activities and social life, as well as altering their ability to care for the person in their care. position. Objective: To identify the overload of the informal caregiver of patients with chemotherapy treatment, in a specialty hospital in Guayaquil, year 2021. Methodology: descriptive, quantitative, prospective type of transversal sequence. Population: 100 informal caregivers of patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Technique: Survey. Instrument: Questionnaire of questions, Zarit Scale and Care Ability Inventory. Results: According to sociodemographic characteristics, women represented 87%, aged 49 to 58 years, with marital status 34% free union, with 44% secondary education level, 48% have 6 years or more taking care of their family and 70% are children. 30% help the patient in the activities they need, 80% do not carry out recreational activities and 60% do not carry out a meal plan for the patient. Regarding the level of overload, through the Zarit Test, 56% presented slight overload; In relation to the Care Skill Inventory, they presented a low level of skills in terms of patience (66%), knowledge (68%) and courage (60%). Conclusions: It is identified that informal caregivers present a level of light overload and not all of them have care skills, due to the lack of knowledge and preparation to exercise this role.